Health & Science

For Austin-area patients living with serious mental illness or neurological conditions, a new partnership involving one of the city’s longest-running clinical research organizations could bring more opportunities to participate in advanced clinical trials closer to home.

Community Clinical Research, an Austin-based research site that has operated since 1996, has joined the national network of PhaseWell Research, a Nashville-headquartered multisite clinical research company. The partnership gives PhaseWell a significant presence in Texas while making Community Clinical Research, or CCR, the foundation of its inpatient central nervous system research capabilities.

For Austin, the significance goes beyond another healthcare business partnership. CCR operates a purpose-built psychiatric research facility with a 20-bed inpatient unit staffed around the clock, allowing researchers to conduct studies that require intensive observation and specialized psychiatric care.

The partnership could also broaden the number and range of clinical trials available to Central Texas residents at a time when access to research opportunities can vary widely depending on geography, diagnosis and the complexity of a study.

Nearly 30 Years of Clinical Research in Austin

Community Clinical Research was co-founded in Austin in 1996 by psychiatrist Dr. David Brown, who serves as a principal investigator.

Over nearly three decades, the organization has completed more than 400 Phase I through Phase IV clinical studies. Its work has focused heavily on central nervous system, or CNS, conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive impairment, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorders.

The organization operates from a roughly 12,000-square-foot facility that includes its 20-bed inpatient psychiatric unit.

CCR’s clinical team includes Brown, Principal Investigator Dr. Samuel Collier, Sub-Investigator Reid Luedecke, PMHNP-BC, and Mark Embry. The organization conducts both inpatient and outpatient research, allowing the team to match study requirements and patient needs with the appropriate setting.

According to the companies, CCR has also developed a participant database containing more than 1,200 previous research participants over the past 25 years. Its referral network extends to more than 150 community organizations, healthcare providers, group homes, advocacy groups and clinical institutions.

Those longstanding Austin connections are an important part of the partnership because clinical research depends not only on scientific infrastructure but also on finding people who are eligible for studies and willing to participate.

PhaseWell Builds a Texas Clinical Research Presence

PhaseWell Research operates clinical trial sites focused on oncology, CNS conditions and cardiometabolic diseases, supporting research from early Phase I studies through Phase IV trials conducted after treatments reach the market.

Across its network, PhaseWell says its sites have completed more than 2,700 clinical trials and contributed to the development and approval of more than 200 therapies.

Adding Community Clinical Research gives PhaseWell specialized inpatient psychiatric capabilities that are relatively uncommon among research sites.

“Community Clinical Research is unlike any site we’ve added to the PhaseWell network,” said Carsten Bick, Chief Executive Officer of PhaseWell Research. “Dr. Brown and his team have spent nearly three decades building a CNS research operation anchored by a robust inpatient psychiatric unit — one that operates around the clock, has earned the confidence of the most demanding sponsors in our industry, and consistently delivers the enrollment and data quality that defines best-in-class performance. That combination is rare in this industry, and it is exactly what our sponsors and the patients deserve. We are proud to welcome CCR to PhaseWell.”

CCR has worked with 21 unique sponsors since 2021 and has established relationships with major clinical research organizations including Syneos, IQVIA, Premier Research, PPD, Worldwide Clinical Trials, ICON, Lotus, Medpace and Parexel.

According to the partnership announcement, CCR has met 100 percent of its target enrollment on nearly all protocols it has conducted.

What the Partnership Could Mean for Austin Patients

Clinical trials can give eligible patients access to investigational therapies before those treatments are broadly available, although participation also comes with specific eligibility requirements, potential risks and no guarantee that an investigational treatment will ultimately prove effective.

For residents searching for clinical trials in Austin involving depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease or other CNS conditions, the PhaseWell partnership could increase the number and variety of studies available through CCR.

The companies said the arrangement is intended to bring additional studies, infrastructure and therapeutic programs into the Austin market while also linking CCR to PhaseWell’s broader national network.

“For nearly 30 years, this site has been built on a single belief: that patients living with serious mental illness deserve access to the most innovative therapies in development, and that the only way to deliver that is through a research environment they can genuinely trust,” said Dr. David Brown, Co-Founder and Principal Investigator of Community Clinical Research. “Joining PhaseWell gives our team the national platform and infrastructure to extend that mission further than we ever could on our own — more studies, broader therapeutic reach, and greater access for patients in Austin and across the region. We are proud of what we have built, and we are excited about what we will build together.”

The Austin site also gives PhaseWell a strategic base in one of Texas’ largest healthcare and research markets. The companies said CCR’s recruitment reach extends beyond Central Texas into Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, four metropolitan areas that collectively represent more than 20 million people.

That geographic footprint could be especially important for specialized psychiatric and neurological studies, where finding enough eligible participants is often one of the biggest challenges researchers face.

Why Austin Matters in the Clinical Trial Market

Austin’s continued population growth, expanding healthcare sector and proximity to large Texas population centers have made the region increasingly attractive to healthcare and life sciences organizations.

Community Clinical Research adds something more specialized to that landscape: nearly three decades of experience running complex psychiatric studies alongside an inpatient unit capable of monitoring participants 24 hours a day.

PhaseWell said the partnership strengthens its ability to support complicated CNS clinical trials while expanding its reach into a large and demographically diverse research market.

For Austin-area families affected by serious mental illness, cognitive decline or other neurological conditions, the practical result may be greater access to studies that previously would have required traveling farther from Central Texas.

Participation in any clinical trial remains voluntary, and prospective participants should review a study’s requirements, potential risks, benefits and alternatives with qualified medical professionals before enrolling.

What Happens Next

Community Clinical Research will continue operating in Austin as part of PhaseWell’s national research network, with the local team expected to support additional Phase I through Phase IV studies as new programs are introduced.

The partnership also gives PhaseWell a platform for expanding its clinical research presence across Texas while preserving CCR’s existing relationships with Austin-area healthcare providers, advocacy groups and participants.

For a research organization that has spent nearly 30 years working within the Austin healthcare community, the next chapter is less about starting over than expanding what is already here.

Stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for more updates on Austin healthcare, clinical research, medical innovation and developments affecting families across Central Texas.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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