34 GHP Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards 2024 READ Research strives to address various health challenges through clinical trials and research initiatives, with experience in a wide range of therapeutic areas such as cardiology and cardiology risk factors, nephrology, rheumatology, osteoarthritis, gastroenterology, and vaccine studies. Renowned for its strong contributions to the sector and exceptional trial conduct, TREAD Research is highly regarded across the industry as a key player in the realm of life sciences. “The mission of TREAD Research is to protect the rights, welfare, and privacy of human subjects who choose to participate in human subject research,” Professor Lesley states. “TREAD Research is committed to advancing responsible research, ethical treatment of human research subjects, and ensuring that the right of every human being to voluntary, informed consent with regards to research is respected.” The organisation aims to carry out this mission by promoting an environment of respect and understanding of the rights and welfare of human research participants and ensuring that the risks and benefits of each research study are thoroughly considered. In addition to this, TREAD Research ensures that its human participants are wellinformed of their research rights before participation, ensuring that a high standard of ethics is maintained throughout the process. Navigating the intricacies of the life science sector can be an arduous task, especially for organisations such as TREAD Research, who must often adjust to the varying requirements of sponsors, which are not always standardised. In response, the organisation Sep24465 T Founded in 1998, TREAD Research is an award-winning clinical trial unit situated within Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. Affiliated with the Division of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, in Stellenbosch University, TREAD Research has been recognised in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards 2024 for its excellence in the field. Below, we speak with Professor Lesley Burgess, Managing Partner,tolearnmoreaboutitsoperations. has communicated these challenges to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, or SAHPRA. Additionally, changes to regulations and guidelines from agencies such as the European Medicines Agency and the United States Food and Drug Administration can lead to complexities in trial designs and compliance. Of course, an organisation that holds the highest standards of quality and safety in such regard as TREAD Research emerges victorious in the face of adversity. “We have undergone successful audits by the American FDA, the SAHPRA, and several local and international pharmaceutical research companies and clinical research organisations,” Professor Lesley tells us. “In June 2016, we became the first research organisation in Africa to be awarded accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs, joining an elite group of only 231 research institutions throughout the world to have achieved such accreditation merit.” More recently, TREAD Research has launched a satellite site operating in Bellville, Cape Town. The 2024 addition focuses mainly on vaccination studies, enabling the organisation to further contribute to the life science industry. Not only that, but TREAD Research has made significant efforts to uphold its social responsibility, having undertaken numerous community inclusive projects, with its latest being a vegetable garden planted by staff members in celebration of World Heart Day 2024. Located in the hospital grounds, the garden’s harvest will be donated to its cardiology patients. As for the future, Professor Lesley tells us that TREAD Research has its focus set on capacity building. “We are currently training four interns who have recently graduated from South African Universities in different fields of microbiology and biotechnology,” she says. “These interns are training on all the core aspects of clinical trials to eventually equip them to be absorbed into the clinical trial sphere smoothly.” By dedicating itself to training new talent, TREAD Research is successfully shaping the future of clinical trials, ensuring that its professionals are well educated on best practices, health and safety, and ethical conduct. This endeavour allows for the highest standards to be set across the industry, and further solidifies TREAD Research’s established position as a key player in the life sciences sector, pioneering the development of clinical trial research around the world. Contact: Professor Lesley Burgess Company: TREAD Research Web Address: www.tread.co.za/ Best Clinical Trials Unit 2024 – South Africa & Therapeutic Research Organisation of the Year 2024 – South Africa TREAD Research
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1MjM3