How is UKCRN supporting clinical research?

Running a clinical trial is a complex process requiring input from a multidisciplinary team with relevant expertise, for example statisticians, trial managers and doctors. 

 

Clinical Trials Units (CTUs) are specialist units which have been set up with a specific remit to design, conduct and analyse multi-centre clinical trials.  They have the capability to provide specialist expert statistical, epidemiological and other methodological advice and coordination to undertake successful clinical trials, as well as having additional expertise to coordinate trials involving medicinal products which have to be conducted within the UK Regulations the laws governing the conduct of clinical trials resulting from the EU Directive for Clinical Trials.

 

UKCRN is keen to ensure that those organisations responsible for coordinating UKCRN studies are supported and integrated with UKCRN and its activities.

In particular, UKCRN wishes to ensure that those organisations coordinating UKCRN multi-centre clinical trials are adequately resourced, in terms of access to expert staff and experience of coordinating such trials to high standards. It is also important to ensure that the research community has access to sufficient high quality CTU expertise, i.e. that there is sufficient national capacity to develop and manage the increasing numbers of trials that will result from the activities of UKCRC and UKCRN.

 

CTUs are therefore a vital component of UKCRC and UKCRN.

 

The Committee of NCRI-accredited Clinical Trials Unit Heads was established in 2003 with the aim of linking Accredited CTU’s with each other to develop best practices across the Network of NCRI-accredited Trials Units and to share the information with other Trials Units, funding bodies, the NCRI Clinical Studies Groups and the NCRN. The following Working Groups have been developed as a result: