Pre-Clinical Research Services

ACT Health Pre-Clinical Research Support Services connects and supports researchers and students in knowledge discovery from laboratory studies.

Pre-clinical research is conducted prior to commencing clinical trials. Researchers collect data and estimate the behaviour of the live cell samples in vivo and in vitro studies. The experiments are conducted using sensitive analysers and state of the art equipment to conduct "clean" research. By conducting repeated pre-clinical studies, the toxicity and safety is assessment which is essential for patient safety in clinical trials.

ACT Health has the capacity to accommodate researchers working across a variety of fields. Current research conducted in ACT Health laboratories includes paediatrics, gastrointestinal cancers, liver disease and cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's and haematological malignancies.

Contact us to learn more about our pre-clinical facilities and service

Compliance Process for Pre-Clinical Research

In order to be authorised to work in a Physical Containment 2 (PC2) laboratory area at Canberra Hospital, it is mandatory to complete the training and exams for Biological Safety and Gene Technology. This training is completed through ANU HORUS. If the researcher is not affiliated with ANY, the Office of Research can organise training and exam attendance.

The following is a high level summary of the compliance process and more details will be provided by our staff throughout your engagement with us.

Step1: Contact the Office of Research

Email preclinical.research@act.gov.au to contact the Head of Pre-Clinical Research Support Services and Education with your affiliated institution and details of your research.

Step 2: Overview and Orientation

The Office of Research Safety Officer will organise a time for orientation and laboratory induction. This session will take approximately half an hour and will include a tour of the laboratory and office area, work safety pathway and an overview of mandatory training.

For your reference:

Step 3: Organise Canberra Hospital Access Card

A profile will be created on the ACT Health IAM system and general access will be given to carry out demonstration and training.

Step 4: Approval of Access to Restricted Area

Access to the area will be approved upon completion of training, exams and induction, and providing evidence of completion and all required induction documents. Restricted assess will provided until this time.

Step 5: Additional Requirements if Applicable

If your research requires work with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), an application must be submitted to the Office of Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) prior to work being conducted. More information is available on the OGTR website.

If your research plan includes collecting samples from human patients, requirements need to be met and applications and relevant form must be submitted to the ACT Health Human Research Ethics Committee. More information can be found in the Ethics and Governance.

If you are interested in other pre-clinical research not listed here, please visit the ANU AEEC website for additional information.

Page last updated on: 29 Jun 2022