Ankara Bilkent City Hospital Phase-1 Clinical Research Center, which has the title of the largest in Turkey in its field, undertakes the role of an important base in the development of new domestic treatments for patients, as well as its joint studies with international companies.
The Phase-1 Clinical Research Center, established in April 2021 within the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, opened its doors to journalists.
The center, which started joint studies by signing "center of excellence" contracts with large international companies, is currently conducting research on drugs, treatments and vaccines that have reached the Phase-1 stage in different fields such as oncology and hematology.
The samples are stored in different temperature environments up to minus 80 degrees.
The center, which is also important for Turkey's domestic drug and treatment studies, has 12 volunteer rooms, each of which is for two people, an emergency room, a research product room, and rooms where samples are stored in different temperature environments such as minus 20, minus 80 degrees.
In the center, all areas except the toilet-bathroom are monitored and recorded with a 24/7 camera system. Images stored for the follow-up of clinical research studies are stored separately from the hospital's system. In the center, where only authorized persons in that area can enter each room by scanning their cards, strict security measures are implemented in order not to harm the clinical studies.
The effects of drugs on humans are being studied
In the center where Phase-1 studies are carried out, where the effects of drugs on humans are examined by leaving the experimental stage, the identities of the volunteers participating in the research studies are completely hidden, anonymized and not shared with anyone.
Volunteers and patients taken to the center for research change their clothes at the entrance of the center and enter. All the needs of the volunteers, from pajamas to toothbrushes, are also provided by the center.
“We are the only center where 24 people can participate in a study at the same time”
Bilkent City Hospital Deputy Chief Physician and Deputy Director of Clinical Research Center Assos. Dr. Burak Civelek reminded that the center was first established for domestic and national vaccine studies during the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Stating that they are currently carrying out different studies to contribute to drug research in addition to vaccines, Civelek said, "We are the largest phase-1 clinical research center in Turkey. We have a capacity of 24 beds. This means that 24 people can be included in a study at the same time, they can stay in the center and receive the new treatment. There is no other center with this capacity at the moment. We are a young center, but we also have the dynamism this gives.”
“We aim to be a leading center in new vaccine and drug studies in the world”
Civelek said that the staff of the center was selected from among the 17 thousand staff of Bilkent City Hospital, among the most competent in the field of clinical research.
Civelek said, "We aim to be a leading center in newly developed vaccine and drug studies in the world. The greatest importance of our center and other centers in this field is that it enables the development of new treatments for diseases whose treatment is unknown."
“It offers people access to the latest treatments.”
Civelek said that in the research conducted at the center, the effectiveness of a drug that has passed the experimental stage is examined on humans, and continued his words as follows: "It offers people the opportunity to reach the newest, modern treatments that have just been applied in the world early, and to contribute to the development of these drugs. The biggest benefit of the centers is to pave the way for new drugs, to evaluate their efficacy and safety. Not only patients but also healthy volunteers can participate in the phase-1 studies we conduct. These studies should definitely not be perceived as 'subject, guinea pig' studies. I can recommend people to consult their doctors to get information about the centers and ongoing phase-1 studies and not to avoid these studies if they are directed.”
“International companies are negotiating with us”
Regarding the current research carried out at the center, Civelek said, "Three studies are continuing at the phase-1 stage at our center, and we have new studies to start. We signed two separate `center of excellence` contracts with very large international companies. We signed two separate `center of excellence` contracts with very large international companies.”
Promising research for lung cancer patients
Assos. Dr. Burak Civelek, stating that hematology, biosimilarity and bioequivalence studies are continuing although the center is focused on oncology at the moment, "For example, our research continues on the treatment of drugs obtained with mRNA technology in patients with advanced lung cancer. In addition, within the scope of the domestic and national vaccine vision, adenoviral vector-based vaccine is also continuing. Phase-1 work has been completed. We have reported the results to the relevant authorities".