The importance of clinical trials in identifying tomorrow’s treatment options

Today is International Clinical Trials Day, an important day on the UCLH calendar because research is an integral part of UCLH’s mission. 

To mark the day, the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (CCTU) is setting up a stall in the atrium of University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre on Huntley Street today between 10am and 2pm and on the third floor of the centre, where teenage and young adult patients are treated, tomorrow between 10am and 2pm. Staff from the CCTU will aim to demystify clinical trials by providing information and answering questions.

At the main University College Hospital atrium on Euston Road, several teams are setting up stalls with information tomorrow between 10am and 3pm, in activity co-ordinated by the UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. 

The stalls will highlight the work of the BioResource, the Clinical Research Facility (CRF), and our Agile Research Delivery Team (ARDT), who will showcase their work and the roles within their teams. 

The Improving Black Health Outcomes (IBHO) NIHR BioResource is key to our attempts to support better inclusion of Black people in research. IBHO will help improve our knowledge and understanding of health conditions and their unique impact on Black communities in the UK. Participation contributes to shaping future healthcare strategies and interventions tailored to meet the needs of Black individuals. This project is led by UCLH consultant haematologist Dr Sara Trompeter. 

Another research project, this time spearheaded by the CCTU at UCLH, is trying to make more places on clinical trials available to young people with cancer, aged between 16 and 24 years. This group is often under-represented in clinical trials and this is associated with lesser improvements in survival. This project is led by UCLH senior research fellow Lorna Fern. 

Meanwhile the team at the NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facility are working collaboratively with one of the smaller Trusts in the wider North London area to help raise awareness of early phase research among patients, carers and staff.  

The CRF at UCLH delivers high quality research and with a focus on early-stage trials – sometimes where new treatments are being trialled for the first time in the world. The CRF has one site on Tottenham Court Road and a second site which is a dedicated neuroscience facility at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at Queen Square. 

The team at the CRF will be visiting Watford General Hospital, part of West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, on Thursday between 10am and 2pm to raise awareness of early phase research and the work of UCLH CRF. 

CRF general manager Raj Khengar said:

“Our materials will include leaflets explaining what healthcare research is in a number of different local languages. We will be working alongside research staff from Watford General Hospital who will also be promoting local research.”  

Stalls at UCLH this week are just a small taster of what is to come in July, with the UCLH Research Open Day taking place again this year on Thursday 3 July from 1pm to 4.30pm. 

Patients, staff and members of the public will have the chance to explore cutting-edge research and innovation happening across UCLH, with the event featuring 50 interactive stalls. The day will also include hospital tours and talks for local schools. It is the first Research Open Day held within the hospital since 2019.