The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) performs trials of new drugs that are intended either to prevent cancerous tumors from growing or to eliminate them altogether. The CRU brings advanced clinical research - and hope - to Upstate patients, many of whom have not found standard therapies effective, and it allows them the comfort and convenience of not having to travel far for treatment.

US Oncology and Mary Crowley Medical Research Center designated the CRU as a Level II site. This designation allows the unit access to a pipeline of new and promising compounds under development in oncology. The opportunity for clinical trials ranges from new delivery techniques through live viral gene therapies, to autologous tumor vaccines (some of which are being developed here in Greenville), and drugs employing new mechanisms of action, so called designer drugs for their tumor specificity.

Traditionally, access to this level of clinical research was available only through a few select centers in the country, and patients would have to travel or move with their families, disrupting their lifestyle during a most critical time in their life. The idea was to have a dedicated, community-based phase 1 oncology drug development unit with the ability to move agents from the laboratory to the patient in the safest, most expedient manner and allow the patient to have access to those agents close to home. The CRU is uniquely designed with specialized equipment and staff to handle the demands of early phase drug development. It has a mini operating room attached to the unit. This allows researchers to analyze what is actually happening at the cellular level in real time, immediately after a new drug is given.

Cancer research has come a long way in a relatively short time but there is more work that needs to be done. The ability to handle tissue and analyze it, along with evaluating patient outcome in a more efficient and integrated manner is the next step.

The CRU currently has clinical trials underway to treat breast, colorectal, renal cell, lung and prostate cancers; melanoma; and non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The CRU is located on the third floor of the Greenville Hospital System Cancer Center, 900 West Faris Road, Greenville, SC. For more information or referrals, please call 864-679-3966.