NCI Central IRB

The Central Institutional Review Board (CIRB) Initiative, sponsored by The National Cancer Institute (NCI) in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Human Research Protections, is designed to help reduce the administrative burden on local IRBs and investigators while maintaining a high level of protection for human research participants. The CIRB enables an investigator to enroll adult and pediatric patients into NCI-sponsored clinical trials significantly faster than the traditional method of local IRB review.

The ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) conducts the majority of its therapeutic trials under the sponsorship of the NCI through its Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP), and the CIRB Initiative pertains to these trials. As of March 1, 2019, all sites wishing to enroll participants in ECOG-ACRIN trials must be a member of NCI CIRB.

Independent Protocol Review Model

In the independent protocol review model, the CIRB is the sole IRB of record and is responsible for both study review and review of local context considerations for enrolled institutions. In the prior facilitated protocol review model, the local IRB conducted the review. A pilot study completed in October 2012 showed that the CIRB could add the review of local context considerations to its review of studies for participant protections without significantly adding to the institutional staff or CIRB members' burden.

To learn more, visit the CIRB website.

Questions?

To inquire about the use of the CIRB in ECOG-ACRIN trials, please send an email to the ECOG-ACRIN Regulatory Affairs Team.