UMMC-MREC approval needs to be sought when it is a medical research protocol involving human participants that are conducted in and using the name of the Faculty of Medicine, UM or UMMC. A researcher needs to obtain UMMC-MREC approval if the study involves human participants UMMC does not review studies that involve human subjects but are not medical/health-related; these studies will be referred to Universiti Malaya Research Ethics Committee (UMREC). Studies involving non-human living vertebrates are referred to the Animal Care Committee of the Faculty of Medicine, UM.

Certain studies may be exempt from requiring ethics approval by the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre - Medical Research Ethics Committee (UMMC-MREC) if they do not involve human subjects or are not classified as research. Examples of such studies include: Single Case Studies: Investigations focusing on a single individual or  case, where the findings are not intended to be generalized to a broader population. Clinical Audits: Systematic reviews and evaluations of clinical practice against explicit criteria, primarily aimed at improving patient care and outcomes within an institution. Public Health Surveillance: The continuous, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data essential for planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health practice. ​

FOM-UM staff and students UMMC staff and students UM staff and students who are not from FOM-UM Non-UM/UMMC Principal Investigators (PIs)

The review time of a new study from the receipt of an application by the secretariat to the MREC Chair’s first decision is 60 working days. The turnaround time would be 60 days from the submission date.

NMRR ID application for clinical trials* Amendments* Reporting of SAE, SUSAR,  non-compliance* Annual reporting , termination/ study completion/closure*

Amendments for studies that are approaching the original study completion date or nearing the expiry date of MREC approval and requesting for extension of the completion date or ethics approval, should be submitted to MREC via the online system at least 30 days prior to the expiry date. A study protocol amendment is a change to contents of approved study documents. Approval should be obtained from the MREC prior to the implementation of an amendment. The online system logs the date of submission of any amendment submitted online. The MREC Chair/Deputy Chair shall determine within 14 working days whether an amendment will undergo expedited or full board review. Amendments shall be reviewed not later than 30 working days after classification by the Chair.

Serious Adverse Event (SAE) or Suspected Unexpected Serious Adverse Reaction (SUSAR) that is fatal/life threatening: As soon as possible but not later than 7 calendar days from awareness of event by investigator, followed by a complete report within 8 additional calendar days. All other SUSARs: As soon as possible but no later than 15 calendar days from awareness of event by investigator. Follow up information should be actively sought and submitted as it becomes available.

Scientific rigour & societal essentiality - Your study design should be scientifically sound and should anticipate significance to society. Participant Information Sheet - the use of layman language to explain your study to the research subjects Insurance coverage - required if the subjects are exposed to more than minimal risk such as invasive interventions, randomised into different arms of procedures that may potentially cause harm etc. Please find out more details from Clinical Investigation Centre (CIC), UMMC. Compensation for the inconvenience - The researcher should consider compensating for the participants' effort and time to participate in research activities if the procedures involved are not part of their routine care. The amount of compensation should not influence their decision to participate in research. Data confidentiality - Please make sure you describe in detail how and where to keep the research data securely. Other documents - Always attach all study-related documents such as data collection forms, interview guide, questionnaire for ethical review. Please refrain from collecting direct personal identifiers such as participants name and RN in these documents. Research Subject ID is okay. Any identifying information used to trace case notes will be kept in the investigator's master list that only investigators can access. Ensure all questions are answered carefully and thoroughly, get someone to guide you through if necessary (supervisors, principal investigators, senior researchers etc.)

For a case report, it usually appears that there are no interventional or experimental aspects and furthermore, the study is on only one patient, hence there is no comparative aspect (e.g. case series) to it as well.   Provided that confidentiality and identity of the patient are safeguarded (which is usually enforced through publication policies) and no stigmatisation or commercial controversies can be traced to the patient, this study can be exempted from review by the Medical Research Ethics Committee (MREC).   Generally, it is advisable to seek MREC opinion prior to submissions for publication to avoid difficulties with the editorial office of journals. ​

Please kindly check the approval letter for the approved period for your study. For instance, your research project duration is 1.1.2023 - 31.12.2025 and this period has been approved by the ethics committee. ​ You are required to submit annual progress reports preferably 30 days before 1.1.2024 and 1.1.2025 and a study closure report by the end of the study. You may also request for extension if necessary but it must be applied 30 days before the expired date. You are advised to submit these essential documents to avoid lapse of the study.