From Lab to Life

Australia’s largest provider of Human Research Ethics Committee services, Bellberry, and ASCEPT (Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists & Toxicologists) have been working together to develop robust guidance for the use of NAMs (New Approach Methodologies) Following the last workshop, Alison Rogers spoke with three leaders in the field to find out more about this grow...

Worldwide there is growing focus on using NAMs (Non-Animal Models also known as Novel Approach Methods) in the development of therapeutics. In other words, removing animals from pre-clinical testing. In this episode of From Lab to Life, we take you to a NAM symposium hosted by Bellberry and ASCEPT (Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists) held late in 20...

In 2004 Bellberry was founded as a disrupter and paradigm breaker. An institutionally independent not-for-profit company that offers Human Research Ethics Committee services.  Today Bellberry provides ethics reviews for more than 40% of the CTN clinical trials that take place in Australia and has re-invested $12 million into the research sector.  In 2024 we celebrated 20 years of Bellberry with a...

In “The Balancing Act” we meet Professor Andrew Wilson AO, the recently retired Chair of the PBAC. Andrew is a former Chief Medical Officer of Victoria and has spent his career trying to get the best possible outcomes in public health through our state and federal governments. For someone focused on evidence based research, engaging in the political system can be a huge challenge.

Without the patient or participant we would not have clinical trials. These are the people who, in some cases, are volunteering to have treatments that have never been tried on humans before. In It’s All About the Participant we hear first-hand about what it’s like to be the participant and ask how could the experience be improved for others? In Episode 9 of From Lab to Life we take a deep dive in...

In The Quiet Achiever we met someone who has made an extraordinary contribution to Australian health in a career spanning over six decades.  Professor Emeritus Lloyd Sansom AO started his career as a pharmacist, going on to become Professor of Pharmacy as well as Head of the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences at the University of South Australia.    In 2002 he was awarded an AO and in 2004 hi...

What are the changes in medical treatment that are going to affect us in the coming years?  In our latest episode of From Lab to Life we hear from three researchers and Bellberry HREC members who have a front row seat to the latest developments. On the Horizon reveals that one of the biggest influences on medical innovation is the pandemic. Despite having a devastating effect across the globe it h...

In this episode of From Lab to Life, we hear the insights from some of the smartest researchers in the country about how they have succeeded in their careers. In Speaking From Experience we hear from Laureate Professor Ingrid Scheffer, Professor Doug Hilton, Emeritus Professor Ian Frazer, Professors Marnie Blewitt, Kim Jacobson and Di Yu about how they have navigated a successful path in the compl...

The competition for good workers is high. What keeps a staff member engaged and energised? At Bellberry, some staff intended to stay months, but have ended up staying for years. What motivates an employee? And what’s the secret to having an engaged workforce? In this episode of From Lab To Life, ‘All In A Day’s Work’, we meet the people that work every day for Bellberry.  

Barely a month goes by without a media report of the next breakthrough in cancer or other rare and life-threatening diseases.  Unfortunately, it can take precious time for patients to receive the benefit of the latest medical innovation.  In June 2023, Bellberry gathered representatives of regulators, reimbursement agencies, pharmaceutical companies and, most importantly, patient groups from aroun...

As a Not-For-Profit organisation, Bellberry allocates surplus funds raised from HREC review back into the health and medical research sector.  In this episode, ‘Chasing The Money’, we hear about Bellberry’s flagship philanthropic program, the Bellberry-Viertel Fellowship, and the impact this funding can have on research careers.

The role of a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) is to ensure that all kinds of research involving or impacting on humans conform to the highest standards of ethical practice and academic integrity.  In this episode, ‘Behind Closed Doors’, we meet four members of Bellberry’s HRECs to understand what motivates people to take on this responsibility and how the process works. 

As Bellberry celebrates its 20th year of operation in 2023/24, in this first episode ‘Creating Difference’ we speak with Bellberry’s CEO, Kylie Sproston, to understand what Bellberry is and how it works.