Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct
Transform with us
Emerging Clinical Trial Hub
Clinical trials from Phase I to IV
The GCHKP is fast emerging as an Asia-Pacific location for clinical trials, due to the co-location of Griffith University with its significant focus on health and drug discovery, together with the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) and Gold Coast Private Hospital, and in conjunction with commercial partners.
From Phase I-IV, clinical trials are catered for in both hospital and university facilities for a range of drugs, vaccines, devices and therapeutic treatments.
The Precinct leverages Australia’s excellent reputation and regulatory environment to deliver a competitive advantage.
Learn more about the rapidly growing Gold Coast Clinical Trial landscape here.
Cost Advantage
- Australia is approximately 60% cheaper for early-phase clinical trials than the United States, after tax incentives.
- The GCHKP has more than 100 clinical trials active or completed
Griffith University Clinical Trials Unit
Supporting staff researchers and commercial clients
Griffith University’s Clinical Trial Unit (CTU), located in the Griffith Health Centre on the Gold Coast campus adjacent to Gold Coast University Hospital, offers purpose-built, GCP aligned facilities for Phase I–IV clinical trials.
As a Core Research Facility of the University, the unit supports staff and collaborators to conduct a wide range of investigator initiated trials.
It also provides professional trial coordination services to external clients such as the pharmaceutical, biotech, nutraceutical and complementary medicine industries, as well as Clinical Research Organisations.
The CTU has successfully conducted commercial trials in:
- Musculoskeletal Diseases
- Infectious Diseases
- Nephrology and Renal Disease
- Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders
- Neurological Disorders
- Device trials
- Pharmacokinetic studies
Gold Coast University Hospital
Patient-centred clinical trials
Gold Coast Health has a professional clinical trials unit that coordinates a signficant number of trails taking place across many clinical specialties in the Gold Coast University Hospital and across Gold Coast Health.
Trials are supported across allied health, cancer, complimentary medicines, emergency medicine and trauma, surgery, psychiatry, women’s and paediatric health, and a range of medical specialties and are run in conjunction with academic collaborators and industry partners.
Malaria Vaccine Phase 1b trial
The Institute for Glycomics whole parasite Malaria Vaccine PlasProtecT® has entered Stage 1b human clinical trials in conjunction with Griffith University’s CTU and the Gold Coast University Hospital.
Developed by Principal Research Leader Professor Michael Good with colleague Dr Danielle Stanisic, first human trials began in 2013, working with medical staff at the GCUH and with Professor Good himself taking part as a patient participant. The trials indicated the multi-strain vaccine was safe and induced an immune response.
There are approximately 3.2 billion people living in malaria endemic countries worldwide and of the 500,000 sufferers who die each year, 80 per cent are young children who are not strong enough to fight off the killer parasite.
Learn more about the Precinct's research excellence
From biomedical research to engineering
Our Experts
With particularly strong research and clinical expertise in health and medicine, the Precinct's talent is diverse.
State-of-the-art
Facilities and equipment
The Precinct boasts a variety of different labs, clean rooms and high-tech research and testing equipment.
World-leading
Research Centres & Institutes
The Precinct is home to a number of research institutes both with niche expertise and multi-disciplinary research focus.