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The ICN Annual Steering Board Meeting 2019 took place on September 26, 2019 in Freiburg, Germany and was hosted by Clinical Trials Unit Freiburg of University Hospital Freiburg, one of the founding members. During the meeting, all steering board members reported their recent activities, and together formulated an action plan for the coming year through intensive small group discussions and open exchange of ideas over panel meetings. Mr. Henry Yau, Managing Director of HKU-CTC, was elected the new ICN Vice-Chairperson and will work together with the new Chairperson, Dr. Thomas Hiemstra of Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit and other Steering Board members to contribute to ICN’s exciting development in the coming two years.

The ICN Symposium 2019 was held following the Steering Board Meeting. Twelve speakers from Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, Taiwan and Hong Kong shared their insightful ideas around the theme of “Clinical Trials in the Global and Digital World”. Mr. Henry Yau, our Managing Director, and Dr. Creany Wong, our Associate Director, shared their experience on “clinical trials central management and digitalization” and received enthusiastic responses from the floor.

The next ICN Steering Board Meeting and Symposium will be hosted by HKU-CTC in November 2020 in Hong Kong.

When most people think of medical careers, the life of a practicing doctor immediately come to mind. However, there is also a very different option in the medical field which involves an alternative pathway: be a medical researcher.

30 students who are newly admitted to the HKU Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Programme (MBBS) this year visited HKU Phase 1 Clinical Trials Centre on July 8, 2019. An information session introducing the concepts of clinical research was delivered by Dr. Creany Wong, Associate Director of HKU-CTC, followed by a tour around the Centre.

The students reflected that it was an eye-opening experience as they had never thought of the possibility of entering the research field after the completion of a medical degree. Some considered that it could also be another way to contribute to the society and to the betterment of mankind.

The investigational drug, Benralizumab, is a novel drug for treating asthma. It was approved in USA, European Union, Japan and Canada. HKU Clinical Trials Centre conducted the phase 1 clinical research of the drug to evaluate the metabolism and safety of the drug using different doses in Chinese population.

Recruitment started in March 2019 and 36 healthy volunteers were selected to join the study. The whole study took 17 weeks and it included screening, 3-day-2-night confinement and follow-up visits. Volunteers were divided into 2 groups to receive injection. The research was completed in August 2019. 

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