The Clinical Research Unit of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis - Jewish General Hospital was established as the first of its kind in Quebec in January 1993. The locale was generously allocated by the hospital and an operational grant was provided by the F.R.S.Q. (Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec).

The unit also receives a large number of patients referred from other hospitals throughout Quebec. Closely tied to the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, the unit provides the opportunity for medical research, inking innovative work at the laboratory bench to the final clinical experience at the bedside, and back to the laboratory to further refine questions and treatments.

Investigations carried out in the unit are approved and monitored by scientific advisory boards as well as the various levels of ethics and regulatory committees. Policies and procedures pertaining to all aspects of clinical investigation are in place to adhere to the H.P.B. (Health Protection Branch) of the Canadian government, the F.D.A. (Food and Drug Administration) of the United States government and the Ethics Review Boards of McGill University and the Jewish General Hospital. The pre-study administrative aspects of study activation are highly efficient. The unit has undergone a number of rigorous external audits, always achieving an "outstanding" evaluation.

The Clinical Research Unit is an integral part of the Experimental Pharmacology program at the Lady Davis Institute and the McGill Centre for Translational Research in Cancer. The staff of the unit comprises the unit Director, a staff physician, a coordinator, 2 nurses and 3 clinical research associates. All are experienced and have been extensively trained in the rigorous details of all phases of clinical trials.

Having been newly renovated and furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, the Clinical Research Unit presently includes a four-bed patient area, an additional single bed room, and an adjacent nursing station for the continuous monitoring of patients. A central office and conference room provide ample space for investigational meetings, data monitoring and industry visits. The unit is also centrally located within the hospital. Situated at the entrance to the research laboratory complex of the Lady Davis Institute, as well as being directly above the clinical laboratories and diagnostic areas of the Jewish General Hospital, patients undergoing investigational treatment are at the center of all medical services. Both the central office and the patient/nursing areas are equipped with computers , modems, and fax lines for study transmission and analysis.