Testing ideas in real-world scenarios
Our Clinical Trials pillar sits at the applied end of the pipeline of new treatments, providing a vital final step for both testing and generating leads.
Leveraging a range of already-funded clinical trials lets us capitalise on existing momentum, and diversify our attention into three main routes that make it easier for our investigators and others in Australia to deliver clinical trials in mental health.
Our Clinical Trials team have developed and validated a library of rating scales. These tools provide crucial insights by measuring the psychological and psychiatric wellbeing of individuals.
Changing the landscape for clinical trial teams in Australia
In 2021 our team forged exciting new ground on bridging a long-standing practical gap hindering new treatments: the first clinical trials network, at a whole-of-country scale, in mental health.
Springing from CREDIT and with pivotal help from Neurosciences Victoria and the collaboration of a broad team of supporters, The Mental Health Australia General Clinical Trial Network (MAGNET) was created. Focussed on the health of adults, MAGNET is a growing collaboration of 100+ partners, including consumer and carer representatives, researchers, heath service providers and peak bodies.
Just as its spans all areas of mental illness, MAGNET captures from all aspects of the mental health field: clinicians, researchers, consumer and carer groups, practitioner Colleges, research peak bodies, health systems and industry partners, insurers, and Government agencies. Our vision is for bigger, more definitive clinical trials that can break new ground for those with mental disorders.
Community partnerships, enabled by a Consumer and Carer Participation Framework and First Nations, Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), and LGBTQIA Advisory Groups, will help put the lived experience of people with mental health conditions at the centre of research efforts, ensuring the clinical outcomes from that research are truly effective.
