World-class health care and medical research have been brought under one roof with the opening of the new Bright Building, which includes UNSW Scientia Clinical Research.
Gabrielle Dunlevy
UNSW Media Office
02 9385 1933
g.dunlevy@unsw.edu.au
Scientific discoveries will be translated to clinical care more rapidly with the collaboration of partners under one roof at the newly-opened Bright Building.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Brad Hazzard opened the $114 million building on the Randwick Hospitals Campus on Tuesday.
The Bright Building gives purpose-built space to Prince of Wales Hospital’s Nelune Comprehensive Cancer Centre, UNSW Scientia Clinical Research and an expansion of the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, including an Australian-first outpatient service for adolescents and young adults.
Patients will have more opportunities to participate in clinical trials in cancer, ophthalmology, neurology, addiction medicine as well as rheumatology and paediatrics.
Boon Chua, Director of Cancer and Haematology Services at Prince of Wales Hospital and UNSW Professor of Medicine, said patients would have access to compassionate and research-driven cancer care.
The partnerships in the building would allow seamless care coordination, she said.
“More than that, we are constantly striving to deliver the best in cancer care by focusing on innovation, scale and collaboration to optimise outcomes for our patients, and value for the healthcare system,” Professor Chua said.
“These two are not mutually exclusive.
“We believe in the power of team science. The juxtaposition of the cancer centre to UNSW Sydney and the Lowy Cancer Centre is no accident.”
UNSW Scientia Clinical Research CEO Lisa Nelson said it was exciting to give patients the opportunity to take part in early phase clinical trials that could not have happened without this facility.
The facility has 30 inpatient beds, a laboratory and an investigational product manufacturing suite – the only one in Australia.
“We also provide assistance to academic researchers on the design and conduct of clinical trials,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said the Bright Building showed what could be possible elsewhere in NSW.
“Today’s a time to reflect on all the thousands and thousands of lives that are going to be changed for the positive because of what we are part of here today,” she said.