Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) has been awarded £1 million by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to bolster its clinical trial infrastructure. The funding aims to address the growing demand on the OUH pharmacy clinical trials unit, which has reached its capacity, and to facilitate the development of groundbreaking new therapies.
Expanding Clinical Trial Capacity
The NIHR's capital funding will enable OUH to refurbish additional space to meet the increasing demand for clinical trials. This refurbishment will ensure the necessary security and environmental controls for storing clinical trial supplies. Furthermore, the funding will support the acquisition of essential equipment, including a two-glove isolator for preparing individual doses of trial medicines, dedicated freezers, refrigerators, and racking for drug storage.
Michelle Taylor-Siddons, OUH associate director of pharmacy for clinical trials, research and manufacturing, emphasized the significance of this expansion: "This additional funding will allow us to expand our capacity to trial ground-breaking new therapies and make us an attractive partner for companies developing these products. The income we receive from these trials will enable us to maintain all of this new equipment, but this injection of capital is vital for getting it up and running."
Benefits for Patients and Research
The expansion of the clinical trials unit is expected to provide OUH patients with increased access to pioneering new treatments. Prof Adrian Banning, OUH director of research and development, highlighted the collaborative aspect of this initiative: "This funding gives us another opportunity to cement the fruitful collaboration between the trust and the University of Oxford, who are working together to develop revolutionary new treatments that improve the lives of our patients."
Enhancing Diagnostic Capabilities
In addition to the pharmacy clinical trials unit, the funding will also support the expansion of ultrasound imaging capability for lymph node biopsies, which is crucial for clinical trials of novel therapeutics and vaccines. Dr. Katrina Pollock, an OUH consultant and researcher at the Oxford Vaccine Group, noted the importance of keeping pace with the expanding portfolio of clinical studies.
Furthermore, a FibroScan, which measures liver fibrosis and predicts clinical outcomes for people with certain liver conditions, will be purchased. A new plate reader in the Oxford Centre for Haemostasis and Thrombosis will also be acquired, enabling more detailed analysis of samples from people with bleeding and clotting disorders.
