MaineHealth plans to launch the state’s first clinical research unit — a 5,500-square-foot suite at the system’s Biddeford hospital that scientists say will open up more opportunities for patients to participate in research trials closer to home.

Hospital officials said patients will no longer have to travel to Boston for some clinical trials for research aimed at improving treatments, such as new cancer drugs that are undergoing testing and have not yet been approved for wide use.

The health system secured $2 million in funding from the Maine Technology Institute to create the research unit, which is slated to open in 2027 at Maine Medical Center Biddeford.

Jessica Chertow, MaineHealth’s vice president of research, said 20-40 patients will be able to use the new research unit in the first year of operation, with plans to expand usage in the future. Five to six nurses will staff the unit, she said.

“This is going to keep Maine patients closer to home,” Chertow said.

Dr. Scot Remick, director of oncology research and education at MaineHealth Institute for Research, said the space will be used for taking blood samples, electrocardiograms, long-term observations, patient interviews and other research needs.

“We may need to observe a patient for eight hours,” Remick said. “You can’t do these types of studies in a regular treatment space. It’s too time consuming, so we needed a dedicated space.”

Remick said the new research unit will open up opportunities for MaineHealth to expand its own research, in addition to being used for research trials for scientists not affiliated with MaineHealth.