Company launches clinical research program Local physicians involved in partnership SUE HICKEY Advertiser

Nurse co-ordinator Rhonda Harnett and Dr. Sarah Baker, vice-president of clinical trials with NewLab Life Sciences, stand in what will be offices at the Martin Greenland Building on Harris Avenue. NewLaw Clinical Research, the division responsible for genetics-based research, officially launched operations in Grand Falls-Windsor this week. Sue Hickey photo

Newfoundland's reputation as a potential hotbed of genetic research just got a boost thanks to St. John's-based NewLab Clinical Research.

On Tuesday, the company officially announced it was initiating its clinical trials division in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Its location is the new Martin Greenland building on Harris Avenue, at the entrance to the Trans-Canada Highway overpass. The ground floor of the building is already home to family physicians from Killick Health Services.

But it's the second floor, in the final stages of construction with office space marked off and walls being erected, where important clinical trials related to genetics will be taking place.

Dr. Sarah Baker is the vice-president of NewLab Life Sciences, the parent company that owns the clinical research facility now expanding into Grand Falls-Windsor.

NewLab is working in partnership with the 11 physicians of Killick Health Services of Grand Falls-Windsor; the division will bring clinical trials to the region for the first time on such a large scale.

While Dr. Baker will oversee the expansion of the company by broadening both its therapeutic focus and its geographic footprint, research will be carried out in the fields of psychiatry, through Dr. Kris Luscombe, family medicine with Killick's nine family physicians, as well as in NewLab's specialty of dermatology with Dr. Jay Coffey.

In addition to Dr. Baker, NewLab has recruited Rhonda Harnett as nurse co-ordinator. She will be responsible for co-ordinating the clinical trials and will be one of the nurses involved in the research.

"The nurse co-ordinator will be doing a large majority of the clinical trial," explained Dr. Baker. "The investigators are overall, responsible for medical care of their subjects, and they come in to see the patients at each visit. But the paperwork, taking vital signs, going through questionnaires for patients and so on, it's the nurse co-ordinators who handle all of that. They are critical to our success."

Dr. Luscombe is the director of Killick Health Services. He stated the group "is excited at the opportunity to partner with NewLab Clinical Research." Following its successful implementation of the largest private computerized medical record system in the province, he said Killick is delighted about the chance to get involved with NewLab's large-scale rural medical research initiative. He said it will benefit communities and patients who will now have access to opportunities traditionally only available to patients in larger centers.

"The types of clinical trials we're going to go after will depend on the interests of the investigators, the physicians in the Killick Health Services group," explained Dr. Baker. "If Dr. Lynette Powell, for example, comes to me and says she's concerned about osteoporosis in her patient population, well, I have a contact at a drug company that's making a new drug for osteoporosis and if that's fits our patients, we can try to get that trial."

This province, especially the island portion of it, has attracted the attention of geneticists around the world in recent years because of unique genetic patterns. There are diseases and conditions more prevalent here than in other parts of the world, mainly because of what's called a "founder population." European settlers came and settled here much earlier than anywhere else; they grew and developed in isolation; there were fewer people and more opportunity to pass on specific genes.

One example of a genetic breakthrough from Newfoundland announced in 2008 made international news, the discovery of the location of the gene for a rare heart disease more common in this province. It's noted for causing sudden death in apparently young and healthy people. The clusters of families affected by it are the products of the former colony's "founder population." There are three areas where a lot of these families were found, including the Bonavista Bay region, Conception Bay region, and to a lesser degree, central Newfoundland.

It's research like NewLab's, which could lead to similar breakthroughs in a region of the world that's a genetics Galapagos Island (area noted for biological diversity and Darwin's evolution theories).

"Genetics research is the heart of NewLab, but we do clinical trials in all areas," said Dr. Baker. "We do clinical trials in all areas, family medicine, dermatology and now psychiatry with Dr. Luscombe. We can study the genetic basis for these diseases with the technology that NewLab has, and through the people of central Newfoundland if they're willing to donate their DNA.

"The possibilities for genetics research are endless."

The company will also have a presence in the offices of dermatologist Dr. Canagasundram Anandakrishnan, where they will work together on a research project to study the genetics of the skin disorder psoriasis.

"We do believe that not only is there a genetic cause for psoriasis, because we see such an increased prevalence of it in Newfoundland and Labrador," said Dr. Baker.

Pharmaceutical companies are already taking interest. NewLab and Killick's arrangement has already attracted one company, Pfizer, whose representatives are planning to visit and assess the site's capabilities this fall.