Clinical trials
Birmingham’s excellence and leadership in clinical trials is internationally renowned. With the scientific and translational expertise that underpins trials together with the organisational infrastructure to ensure successful delivery of translational research, our clinical trials units quickly and safely translate cutting-edge science into improved patient care.
In the five years to 2022, our partners recruited almost 98,000 patients to 1,475 studies – 28% of which were commercial trials run with industry partners.
Moving forwards, BHP aims to build on this excellence in clinical trials, increasing our capacity and designing innovative trials that are inclusive and representative of our population. We are working to deliver more streamlined, agile and environmentally sustainable trials – as well as expanding our commercial portfolio and working innovatively with industry.
Explore our clinical trials capabilities
Established for over thirty years, CRCTU translates cutting edge science and research into improved patient care, from small data-intensive Phase I trials of novel therapies through to large multi-centred international randomised trials. Its trials play a large part in influencing new medical practice, improving patient care and reducing treatment side effects.
The Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit (BCTU) is a leading national clinical trials unit specialising in the design, conduct and analysis of definitive clinical trials and test evaluation studies. BCTU is registered with the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, and is renowned for its experience in co-ordinating multi-centre clinical trials, the presence of expert staff and robust quality assurance systems, and evidence of long-term viability of capacity for trial co-ordination.
Research FIRST provides a flexible and innovate approach to supporting non-CTIMP research and other projects, including dlinical audits, service evaluations and management databases). The service is delivered by BHP, with direct access to clinical, academic and professional support services support from across the BHP ecosystem, and is designed to be flexible and tailored to the requirements of individual teams and/or projects.
Led by the CRCTU, the National Lung Matrix Trial (NLMT) is the world’s largest precision medicine clinical trial for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. A £25 million collaboration with Pfizer, AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical companies, and with support from the NHS, the NLMT matches different treatments to different groups of patients based on genetic changes in their cancer.
Using an innovative trial design that incorporates multiple treatment arms, NLMT allows for a more flexible and informed approach than traditional clinical trials.
The Tessa Jowell BRAIN MATRIX is a first-of-its-kind clinical trial platform that will enable researchers to collect a rich genomic, pathological and imaging dataset to provide patients and clinicians with a fully integrated diagnosis of their disease. The end goal of this platform is to accelerate the development and delivery of brain tumour clinical trials and provide greater access to novel targeted treatments and improved outcomes for patients, both in terms of survival and quality of life.