A quality framework for research is based on policies, processes, and standards that are designed to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, data quality and integrity. A quality framework also serves as a safeguard for the rights and safety of research personnel and study participants.

Do you need to demonstrate that your research portfolio is in compliance with regulatory standards?

MedRIST associates assist clients to strengthen the research capabilities of clinical and support staff and to establish systems that support the growth of research. We offer a suite of audit services to investigators and research programs at healthcare and academic research institutions. 

Building on our unique experience at Canada’s largest academic research hospital, we take a collaborative and educational approach to quality in research environments. Our audit process is conducted in a professional and transparent manner tailored to your specific needs. We help researchers and institutions achieve and maintain compliance with the latest regulations and conduct research in a safe environment.

Your institution can rely on our auditors to be up to date with governing regulations while you focus on the quality of your research. We offer as suite of services including:

• Study Audits:

  Our specialists conduct routine audits throughout the research cycle, as well as complex for-cause audits. Study audits help your institution evaluate the adequacy of systems and processes to support participant safety, integrity of data and assess compliance to regulations and standards. Follow up visits are also offered to verify the implementation and effectiveness of corrective and preventative actions resulting from the audit. We audit specific study procedures and key support service processes as part of your risk management plan. Whether it's safety reporting, investigational product handling, or Research Ethics Board operations, we help you take a proactive approach to ensuring adherence to regulations and standards.

• Program Audits:

  Our associates provide a comprehensive review of research activities by auditing multiple studies to review role descriptions, oversight, and operational structure within a research program or department. In this way, your institution will be able to identify efficiencies and areas where departmental systems and procedures could be enhanced and standardized to support the quality of your research.

We provide a comprehensive suite of safety solutions customizable to meet your organization's needs.

Are you looking to establish a new facility, renovate or relocate an existing facility or improve your safety program?

Do you need to demonstrate laboratory regulatory compliance?

Our professionals have over 50 years of combined experience in developing and delivering bio-safety, chemical and general laboratory safety programs in academic and medical research laboratories, and in support of clinical trials.

Our laboratory safety services include:

• Safety Program Development and Implementation: 

  Our team of professionals can develop a complete and customized safety program for your institution. These services may include needs assessment and any combination of our other safety services. Once your program is developed we can also run it for you. We can also provide program review of existing safety programs to ensure that you have a regulatory compliant and safe laboratory environment in your organization.  

• Personnel Safety Training: 

  Choose from a suite of instructor-led courses in bio-safety or chemical safety or have our trainers customize a training solution specific for your institution. We have provided training to over 6,000 laboratory workers, clinical trials personnel, managers, supervisors and support staff.  

• Laboratory Manuals and SOP Development: 

  Our associates can assist you to develop comprehensive administrative oversight plans, safety manuals, policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures to meet your specific needs.  

• Laboratory Inspection and Audit: 

  With over 1,500 laboratory inspections and audits completed, our inspection team has extensive experience in conducting physical laboratory inspections and audits to ensure compliance under Human Pathogens and Toxins Act, Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations, Canadian Bio-safety Standards (2nd Ed.), Occupational Health and Safety Act and other regulations. We can help assess your laboratories in preparation Ministry of Labour Inspections and provide extensive operational audits subject to your needs. We can also customize inspections for your geographical region. Our timely reports are confidential and provide clear listing of all applicable legislation with compliance and non-compliance details as well as actionable recommendations.  

• Safety Consultation in Laboratory Design: 

  With over 92,000 m2 (1 million sq. ft.) of research space supported, we have extensive consulting experience in ensuring laboratory design meets and exceed regulatory requirements under Human Pathogens and Toxins Act, Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations, Canadian Bio-safety Standards (2nd Ed.), Occupational Health and Safety Act and many other applicable guidelines and standards.  

MedRIST believes in creating environments that support excellence in research, ensure regulatory compliance, and attract top scientific talent from across the world. Our suite of laboratory space planning and design services include:

• Managing a New Principal Investigator or Research Team: 

  A structured and strategic approach to recruitment planning is key to the growth of any research program. Success in recruitment planning is achieved with a collaborative partnership with all internal and external stakeholders that include the incoming research team. Our team will act as a consultant to provide you with an operational framework to ensure a successful on-boarding process of new research teams. We help you create new recruit packages that include budget development, space planning, safety considerations and an estimated timeline of the new lab set ups.  

• Planning and Managing Research Spaces: 

  Research programs, being dynamic, evolve at a rapid pace. Growth of a Research program comes with changes to its physical space requirements. Our team is involved in setting up 10-15 lab startups every year. From a small 500 sq. ft. animal research lab to a 15-storey biomedical research facility; our breadth and depth of experience in planning and managing research environments provides us with a unique skills and knowledge to take a research space from concept to completion. In our unique team set up, we work closely with the Research Safety team to incorporate elements of safety within the laboratory design phase. Whether you have an upcoming renovation or relocation or perhaps even setting up a new research building, we can assist you with planning and design process.  

• Equipment/Inventory Management: 

  At a research institution growing at a constant pace, there is a need to manage and keep stock of inventory and research related equipment. In between new recruitment and old turnover, it becomes difficult to manage inventory and equipment at a large research institution. Our team can help you create customized inventory management solutions that include processes and framework for data collection, asset management, and database design recommendations and templates.  

• Scientific Asset Relocation Services: 

  Relocate your facility and scientific assets through an extensive evaluation and relocation experience which includes a complete assessment of laboratory operations, experimental sensitivities, facility design, and safety compliance reports.  

Do you need to demonstrate your institutional research impact?

We offer advanced methods to measure scientific productivity and impact, taking the guesswork out of strategic planning and decision making.

With the growing emphasis on accountability in the public sector, assessment of scientific activity has become increasingly important. The analysis of publication and citation data, referred to as Bibliometrics, allows for a quantitative analysis of scientific activity and has become an essential component of peer review. Conventional methods rely solely on raw data (e.g.: the number of publications or citations), which results in biases related to group size, age of publication and subject area. Our analysis, however, are heavily focused on indicators conveying relative and proportional impact.

Our associates conduct an average of 50 bibliometric analysis for hospital departments, academic and research institutes. We work with our clients to either provide a verified, accessible and comparative report or provide comprehensive training to enable clients to conduct the analysis and reporting.

Real-world metrics and peer-based benchmarks allow our clients to make informed decisions about quality improvement initiatives and strategic planning. Our professionals serve as a comprehensive resource for quantitative, qualitative and leading edge metrics and evaluation methods.

Our specialist offer services in the following areas:

• Bibliometric Analysis & Reporting: 

  Metrics describing scientific activity, and the analysis of publication and citation data describes and contextualizes research output and impact. The resulting metrics are key for our clients' institutional planning, individual accountability, and funder/public relations.
  
  We apply advanced methods to provide clients with custom, targeted reports that balance verified detail with intelligent, normalized metrics to yield meaningful and useful analytics.

• Individual Assessment:

  New scientist recruitment and promotional review represent a substantial long-term investment for Research Centres. We enable data driven decision support through reports that balance detail with infographics and graphical analytics to contextualize individual activity (5 year, lifetime or custom range) within the results of selected peers.

• Program Analytics: 

  We emphasize accurate and robust data, visual analytics and customization to produce high-utility, clear and concise reports tailored to subject-area.  

MedRIST offers a suite of core laboratory services from glassware washing and autoclaving, to consultation and facility management for new and established laboratories. In addition, our associates provide services to help clients manage equipment changes in ever-evolving laboratory environments.

Our experience is based on demonstrated expertise is serving over 200 laboratories, including hospitals, academic and research institutions across the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario.

Our state-of-the-art facilities, consisting of 10 professional laboratory grade glassware washing machines, 12 industrial autoclaves, and a clean steam generator, have regularly processed over 1M pieces of labware per year and could accommodate special demands requiring 24/7 operations.

This highly specialized service includes:

• Preparation and Pre-Washing

• Scientific Equipment Washing

• Preparatory Clean, Plant & Clean Steam, and Sterilization

• Packaging

• Glassware Pick-Up and Delivery

• Detailed Activity Documentation

• 24HR Turn-Around Time

• Daily, Weekly, and Short-Term/Emergency Services