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What is experimental medicine?
Where does experimental medicine fit into the clinical research pathway?
What is a Clinical Research Facility?
What is a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility?
What is the Clinical Research Infrastructure Intitative?
What is an Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre?
What is an NIHR Biomedical Research Centre?
What is an NIHR Biomedical Research Unit?
What is an MRC Translational Medicine Centre?
What is the UK Clinical Research Facility Network?
What is experimental medicine?
Experimental medicine is an investigation in humans to identify the cause of disease and to test the validity and importance of new discoveries and treatments.
The effective translation of results from experimental medicine studies into later phase clinical research is an important outcome of experimental medicine, as is the generation of new hypotheses to be explored in the laboratory.
"From the bench to the bedside and back again"
Where does experimental medicine fit into the clinical research pathway?
What is a Clinical Research Facility?
Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs) are multi-user facilities designed to improve the translation of results of basic biomedical research into effective treatments and techniques. CRFs support Principal Investigators conducting both academic and commercial research.
Whilst CRFs vary due to local need, all will include the following:
- Outpatient and Inpatient facilities
- Support for high intensity studies which includes overnight stays
- Highly trained dedicated research personnel
- Each CRF has specialist equipment and laboratories to conduct a variety of research studies
Support with documentation
- Studies conducted to GCP/Research Governance Framework
Although not dedicated services some CRFs may be able to provide additional support, subject to funding and availability examples include:
- Recruitment service
- Medical cover for studies
- Protocol writing
Contact your local CRF for information regarding the range of services they are able to offer you.
What is a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility (WT CRF)?
In 1997, the Wellcome Trust, in collaboration with the English and Scottish Health Departments, launched an initiative to strengthen clinical research in the UK by funding the construction costs of five new Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facilities (WTCRFs).
Five facilities were originally set up in Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Manchester and Southampton. The facilities provide a purpose-built environment for patient oriented research, where clinical researchers have access to cutting-edge clinical facilities, human resources and patients. They help to encourage collaborations between basic and clinical scientists helping to ensure that advances in biomedical research feed through into improvements in healthcare.
By July 2006, the facilities were found to be so successful that a consortium of research funders led by the Wellcome Trust announced further funding of £84million to develop and strengthen the facilities (see What is the Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative).
What is the Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative (CRII)?
Under a competitive process managed by the Wellcome Trust, the following funding partners collectively provided £84 million of new funding under the Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative: Wellcome Trust, Wolfson Foundation, British Health Foundation, Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, the Health Deprtments in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Health Research Board of Ireland.
This initiative built on the original five Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facilities and was created to provide significant new investment for clinical research infrastructure. Priority areas targeted by the scheme included clinical research facilities, enabling technologies (imaging, proteomics, genomics, diagnostics, devices), capacity for early medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical support.
The initiative awarded funds to develop and strengthen UK clinical research facilities in Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge, Edinburgh, The Institute of Cancer Research, Imperial College London, Kings College London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and University College London.
In addition, a new Clinical Research Centre was established in Dublin, jointly funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Health Research Board of Ireland.
What is an Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre?
An Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) is a translational research centre with both laboratory and clinical facilities and expertise. The resources available in an ECMC allow the safe, rapid and rational evaluation of new cancer treatments, and the development and application of novel biomarkers to facilitate late stage clinical trials and the evolution of personalized medicine.
A network of ECMCs has been developed across the UK. This is a joint initiative between Cancer Research UK and the Health Departments in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland investing £35 million in ECMC's over 5 years, commencing on 1st April 2007. Full ECMC status and funding has been awarded to 17 centres of scientific and clinical excellence in translational research. Two further centres have been awarded an Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre in Development grant.
The support provided by ECMC funding is used in each Centre to underpin translational research strengths at each location. Through regular national meetings, open fora and workshops, expertise and best practice across the network will be shared. Particular strengths vary in each Centre; however, generic themes supported by ECMC funding include early clinical trials of novel therapies - small molecule, immunotherapies and other complex biological therapies - and the development of novel biomarkers - diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, pharmacological and response surrogates.
What is an NIHR Biomedical Research Centre?
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has created twelve NIHR Biomedical Research Centres within leading NHS and University partnerships to drive progress on innovation and translational research in biomedicine. By sustaining scientific excellence, the Centres will contribute to the nation's international competitiveness as a major component of our knowledge economy.
The Centres, based within the most outstanding NHS and University partnerships in this country, are leaders in scientific translation. They receive substantial levels of funding to translate fundamental biomedical research into clinical research that benefits patients and they will be early adopters of new insights in technologies, techniques and treatments for improving health.
The Biomedical Research Centres were selected through open competition, in a two stage process, by an independent international Selection Panel with substantial experience in translational clinical research.
What is an NIHR Biomedical Research Unit?
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has established fifteen Biomedical Research Units to undertake translational clinical research in priority areas of high disease burden and clinical need that are currently under-represented in the existing NIHR Biomedical Research Centres.
Each NIHR Biomedical Research Unit is a partnership between an NHS Trust and a University, which will enable some of our best health researchers and clinicians works together.
The NIHR Biomedical Research Units will:
- Drive innovation in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ill-health;
- Translate advances in medical research into benefits for patients; and
- Provide a key component of the NHS contribution to our nation's international competitiveness by building on the best research leaders and their teams and enabling their host institutions to achieve or further develop critical mass in a priority research area.
The NIHR Biomedical Research Units were selected through open national competition in a two stage process by an independent international expert Selection Panel, Chaired by Professor John Savil.
What is an MRC Translational Medicine Centre?
A major challenge in medical research is finding ways of translating research findings into practice. As part of its plans for tackling these problems, the Medical Research Council (MRC) issued a call for proposals to create research centres aimed at translating scientific discoveries into new drugs, therapies, diagnostic tools or methods of prevention; or using clinical knowledge to inform fundamental research priorities. The MRC selected six proposals for funding. The MRC Translational Medicine Centres will focus on transplant medicine, obesity, neuromuscular diseases, genomics and global health, outbreak analysis and modelling and the molecular causes and indicators of disease.
What is the UK Clinical Research Facility Network?
The UK Clinical Research Facility (UK CRF) Network has been established with funding from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Chief Scientist Office in Scotland to identify and develop systems that will enable the delivery and management of excellence in operational activities across the UK clinical research and experimental medicine infrastructure.
One of their key objectives is to provide support and guidance to those working in clinical research facilities and develop a system that will facilitate the sharing of knowledge, expertise and good practice between facilities.
In order to meet this objective a web portal has been created to provide a signposting point for information relating to the management and operation of clinical research activity within the UK. It will be used to disseminate information, guide standards and promote excellence and consistency in clinical and experimental medicine research processes. The website houses a comprehensive collection of documentation on standard operating procedures, study protocols, organisation structures and other relevant information for clinical research facilities, as well as a discussion form to allow staff to exchange ideas on common work themes and good operating practices.
Authorised users can access the UK CRF Network Portal here.
To gain access to this site you will need to register with the UK CRF Network Administrator to receive a user name. Please contact Shane Hoy (e-mail: shane.hoy@manchester.ac.uk) or Jill Moores (e-mail: jill.moores@manchester.ac.uk).
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