OCTRU Trials Hub

As we say hello to October, we celebrate the studies that achieved their best month of recruitment of all time in September!

LEADER
FORENSIC

Thank you to everyone taking part in our research & to our teams for their work across all of our studies!

17 September is #WorldPatientSafetyDay2025.

But patient safety is a year-round commitment inc. in clinical trials.

The EXPLAIN Project developed animations to illustrate to patients & participants how safety in trials is overseen.

Find out more here ukcrc-ctu.org.uk/explain-wpsd...

#UKCTUNetwork

We can't believe it's already September!

Well done to the LEADER study who achieved their best month of recruitment to date in August! 👏
Find out more about the study here: leader.octru.ox.ac.uk

& thank you to everyone taking part in all of our studies, and to all of our hardworking teams!

Surgery to treat chronic sinus disease more effective than antibiotics Sinus surgery is more effective than antibiotics at treating chronic rhinosinusitis, according to a major clinical trial led by UCL, coordinated by the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU) and...

The MACRO study's results paper has been published in @thelancet.com - well done to all involved, and thank you to all participants!! 👏

Find out more ⤵️
www.ndorms.ox.ac.uk/news/surgery...

Read the paper ⤵️
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

#CRS #ClinicalTrials #OpenAccess

SARONG has reached 700 participants! We're incredibly grateful to all the research teams and participants who made this milestone possible. @sherazmarkar.bsky.social @octructu.bsky.social @ndsurgicalsci.bsky.social @situ-oxford.bsky.social

The #UKCTUNetwork is committed to fostering a supportive, collaborative & transparent environment across CTUs—driven by continuous improvement, knowledge-sharing, and mutual respect for experience and insight.

Learn more: ukcrc-ctu.org.uk/network-stra... #ClinicalTrials #UKCTUNetworkStrategy

@situ-oxford.bsky.social @oxtraumaresearch.bsky.social

As we welcome August we celebrate the studies that acheieved their best month of recruitment to date in July!

Well done to the @sarongtrial.bsky.social, TaILOR, and INITIATE teams, and thank you to everyone taking part in, and working on, all of our studies! 👏

Huge milestone for the SARONG team! July 2025 has been the best recruiting month yet — 5️⃣4️⃣ new participants joined, bringing us to 6️⃣8️⃣7️⃣ randomised in total! We're incredibly grateful to our amazing sites, participants, and the NIHR for their continued support.
@sherazmarkar.bsky.social

A quotation from a Research Nurse at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary working on the MILI trial says, "The possibility of discovering medication that will reduce the incidence of cancer is exciting and will change the lives of many patients living with the condition".

The MILI site team based at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary share what this study means to them.
Find out more about MILI here: mili.octru.ox.ac.uk
#LFS #TP53 #LiFraumeniSyndrome @NHSGrampian

Interested in or currently leading a clinical trial?

Want to be the best Chief Investigator you can be?

Want to build a peer support network?

This UPDATED course is for you!

⏰Registration for the October 2025 workshop in Glasgow is now open.⏰

Find out more here: ukcrc-ctu.org.uk/how-to-be-a-...

The EXPLAIN Initiative has produced generic multilingual Explainer Animations for three key topics in clinical studies - available to use for free for studies at CTUs across the @ukcrc-ctu.org.uk network.

To find out more, and to request the use of the videos, visit explain.octru.ox.ac.uk

We had a brilliant Summer Meeting yesterday! 🌞

Great to hear from all our groups on their achievements and innovations, and from our guest speaker Adwoa Parker for an engaging and informative talk!

Congratulations also to the nominees and winners of our CTU awards for 2024!

Wow, WHiTE FRUITI recruited their 700th participant yesterday! 👏

Well done to the team and all involved in the study, and thank you to all our participants!

Find out more about the study here: www.ndorms.ox.ac.uk/research/cli...

@oxtraumaresearch.bsky.social

Well done to the PART, TaILOR and INITIATE study teams - they achieved their best month of recruitment to date in June! 👏

Thank you to everyone taking part across all of our studies and to all of our hardworking teams!

@situ-oxford.bsky.social @oxtraumaresearch.bsky.social

A huge well done to the TaILOR study team - they have recruited over 100 participants! 👏

Thank you to everyone taking part in this study & for the hard work of all involved!

Find out more about the study here: tailor.octru.ox.ac.uk/node/523

#Rheumatology #InflammatoryArthritis

A few photos from the NIHR Statistics Conference 2025 last week in Sheffield, where our OCTRU Statisticians—Alex Zimmerman, Elnaz Saeedi, and Adrija Saha—represented us brilliantly.

👏 Congratulations to Alex for winning the prize for best rapid fire talk!

#NIHRStats2025

CONSORT 2025 Statement Updated Guideline for Reporting Randomized Trials

Authors, editors, reviewers, and other potential users should use CONSORT 2025 when writing and evaluating manuscripts of randomized trials to ensure that trial reports are clear and transparent.

Learn more in this Special Communication.

https://ja.ma/3TlnKQe

Well done to OP NON STOP, ROBUST, and TaILOR - these studies achieved their best month of recruitment to date in May!

Thank you to everyone taking part across all of our studies and to everyone involved in/contributing to our research! 👏

@oxtraumaresearch.bsky.social @situ-oxford.bsky.social

Diversity and inclusion matter in clinical trials. They help ensure results are meaningful to those most affected.

There’s more to do, but we’re proud of CTU projects like INCLUDED which offer practical guidance to researchers.

Learn more: tinyurl.com/3st5jzke

#ClinicalResearch #EDI

And finally... Thank you to all the participants who have taken part in our trials in the past year! And thank you to every person who is involved in our research - PPI partners, statisticians, programmers, trial managers, trial administrators, CIs, PIs, research nurses, AHPs... the list goes on - we couldn’t do it without you!!

We hope you've enjoyed our series of posts for International Clinical Trials Day!

We'd like to close today by thanking everyone who takes part in our research and everyone who makes it possible - we couldn't do it without you!

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“In my capacity as Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, I ensure that transparent processes and regulations are in place to assure not only the wellbeing and safety of the participants but the quality and integrity of the results. Clinical trials provide an opportunity for participants to play an active role in their own healthcare and to gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available, increasing the options for treatment when standard care has failed. Knowing that my role contributes to this advance is very rewarding.” -Joanna OCTRU HoRAQ

Finally, we hear from Joanna, our Head of Regulatory and Quality Affairs, on why her role in Clinical Trials is important, and why Clinical Trials are important for the participants involved ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“I get to work in a diverse team that is passionate about clinical trials and is driven by being a part of research that can improve the lives of others and can change practice. Never underestimate the impact you can make in the collaborative world of research - every person who contributes to, or takes part in a clinical trial is vital, valued, and makes a difference!” Sam, OCTRU EA/Hub Co-ordinator

Sam, our Executive Assistant and Hub Co-ordinator, expresses why she likes working in OCTRU and reminds us that every person who contributes to, or takes part in a clinical trial is vital and valued ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“I always wanted to be in a career that would make a direct impact on healthcare and on people’s lives, and working in clinical trials lets me achieve this. As a medical statistician, my role is enjoyable – when programming I get to play around with new pieces of code, and can apply my statistical knowledge in a way that contributes to real change in healthcare - I contribute to trial protocol development, and carry out final analyses, getting to be the first person to know whether a new treatment is effective or not.” Chris, OCTRU Medical Statistician

Chris, one of our Medical Statisticians, explains why he wanted to work in clinical trials and how he can use his statistical knowledge to make an impact on healthcare and on people's lives ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“Working in Clinical Trials IT offers the rewarding opportunity to contribute to life-saving research by delivering technological solutions that enhance the efficiency, accuracy, and compliance of clinical studies." Patrick, OCTRU Head of Programming

Patrick, our Head of Programming, outlines the importance of working in Clinical Trials IT and how research is improved by technology ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“I am proud to be involved in clinical trials that contribute to generating valuable data essential for developing new and enhanced therapies to benefit patients across various medical fields.” Emma, OCTRU QA & Admin Manager

Emma, our Quality Assurance and Administration Manager, explains why she is proud to be involved in clinical trials ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“Clinical trials are essential for improving future healthcare. The work we do in our CTU makes a real difference to patients and helps to change practice – it is really rewarding to be a part of that! The trial landscape is forever changing, and every trial brings new challenges but the constant problem-solving and teamwork involved makes it interesting and fun!" Clare, OCTRU Head of Pre-trial Operations

Clare, our Head of Pre-trial Operations describes why the work we undertake at our Clinical Trials Unit is important, and why she enjoys the challenges it brings ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

Joanna, our Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance baked this citrus cake to celebrate ICTD 2025! It includes an edible cartoon of James Lind, lemons (which were used on the Salisbury ship in 1747) to represent vitamin C, and jelly beans to represent drug trials as Clinical Trials evolved over time.

We hope you are enjoying hearing from the OCTRU Hub team so far on International Clinical Trials Day 2025!

Joanna, our Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, is celebrating today with this amazing cake that she baked! 🍰

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“Research is the way we move forward in medicine and health care, finding new tests, preventions, and treatments – what an exciting field to work in! It is important that research is carried out to a high quality, keeping everyone safe and maintaining a deserved trust in the process and outcomes, and I like being a part of making that happen 😊” Keira, OCTRU GCP Compliance Manager

Keira, our Good Clinical Practice Compliance Manager, outlines the importance of carrying out research to a high standard and why she enjoys being involved in clinical trials ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025

“I decided to work in clinical trials because people close to me were unwell, and I wanted to make a difference which would help them and many more get the best treatment possible. I also really like clinical trials because we are discovering the previously unknown and bringing it to light for the benefit of others.” -Alex, OCTRU Medical Statistician

Alex, one of our Medical Statisticians, explains why he wanted to work in clinical trials and what they mean to him, and why research is exciting and important ⬇️

#InternationalClinicalTrialsDay2025 #ICTD2025