International Clinical Trials Day is 20 May. We have all heard and learned more about clinical trials over the COVID pandemic, and this day is an opportunity to recognise the huge amount of work, dedication and effort that goes into clinical trials across medical research.
The contribution to clinical trials amongst NCARD team members runs from setting up meetings, to laboratory analysis and trial design: it truly is a team effort. And it would not be possible without patient participation.
Here’s some more about NCARD’s clinical trials.
“I’m doing mesothelioma research that we expect, one day, may reach clinical trials” – Lizeth Orozco Morales, PhD student
‘I process clinical trial patient samples and assist with running assays for testing of these samples – Ebony Rouse, Research Assistant
“I analyse samples from patients who have participated in our clinical trials, and I help our PhD students with their experiments”. – Tracy Seymour Hoang, Graduate Research Assistant
“I act as a liaison between clinicians, researchers and patients. I collect research samples and help to process these samples in the laboratory” – Dr Tina Firth, Clinical Research Assistant.
“I organise meetings between team members and national and international collaborators, and help to submit scientific papers” – Tracy Hayward, Executive Assistant to NCARD Director, Centre Manager
“We use blood and tissue samples donated by trial participants for experiments where we try to predict who will respond well to treatments, and why. I design these experiments, analyse the data collected, and write scientific papers describing the outcomes.” – Dr Alistair Cook, Postdoctoral Researcher
“I support the team in research administration. This helps to fund and manage research projects as well as engage collaborators” – Dr Tanya Ward, Program Manager
“I perform pre-clinical studies that generate the necessary data, which provides the scientific reasoning and underpins the rational design of future clinical trials”. – Dr Scott Fisher, Postdoctoral Researcher.
“I consider critical clinical problems and design clinical trials that might solve those problems. I am grateful that many of my patients participate in these trials”. – Professor Anna Nowak, NCARD Director, Medical Oncologist