MRC CTU Podcasts

MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • 0.0 (0)
  • SCIENCE

The Trial Talk podcast explores how our work at the UCL Innovative Clinical Trials Unit (formerly the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL) is improving health in the UK and around the world. Through conversations with world leading experts, researchers, and patient representatives, we take listeners inside the studies we run. From clinical trials in cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions to pioneering research on trial methodology, the podcast unpacks important results, explores how studies can be designed and delivered more efficiently, and shows how public involvement is helping to shape better, smarter clinical trials.

  1. International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference 2024 roundup - early careers edition

    10/30/2024

    International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference 2024 roundup - early careers edition

    At the start of October, lots of the Unit’s clinical trials methodology researchers travelled to Edinburgh, for the 7th International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference (ICTMC). ICTMC is the largest academic-led conference on clinical trials, bringing together trialists from across the globe to present their latest work in trials methodology. This year's conference featured a wide variety of workshops, talks and poster presentations from MRC Clinical Trials Unit researchers. In this latest episode of the Trial Talk podcast, four of the Unit’s early career researchers discuss the work they presented at ICTMC 2024. Gideon Darko Asamoah tells us how he will deliver a core outcome set for trials in severe malaria; Jingyi Xuan describes her project addressing intercurrent events in platform trials; Dongquan Bi discusses the effects of different cluster sizes in cluster trials; and finally, Kate Roberts explains how she aims to improve the wording around consent for accessing trial participants' healthcare records. For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk For more information and to access the transcript: https://bit.ly/4f9grVi As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g More resources: • Developing a core outcome set for severe malaria trials poster: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/identifying-a-comprehensive-long-list-of-outcomes-for-developing-a-core-outcome-set-for-severe-malaria-treatment-trials-a-systematic-review-and-inclusion-of-outcomes-important-to-patients-and-caregivers/ • Specifying estimands and estimators in trials with complex designs poster: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/specifying-estimands-and-estimators-in-trials-with-complex-designs/ • Demystifying estimands in cluster-randomised trials paper in Statistical Methods in Medical Research: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09622802241254197 • Estimands in cluster-randomised trials paper in International Journal of Epidemiology: https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/52/1/107/6644521 • Current practice around the use of estimands in cluster randomised trials, and the impact of informative cluster size on inference poster: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/current-practice-around-the-use-of-estimands-in-cluster-randomised-trials-and-the-impacts-of-informative-cluster-size-on-inferences/ • ICTMC 2024 Poster 167 – A rap song (Lyrics by Dongquan Bi, beat by David Fitzgerald): https://youtu.be/s7qZ5TnOlWU?si=iXwfFfSAWwJ-fAmk • CrossWord poster: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/crossword-consent-to-access-and-use-healthcare-systems-data-for-clinical-trials-a-review-of-current-language-in-participant-facing-materials/

    25 min
  2. Lessons from UKCTOCS, a large-scale trial in ovarian cancer screening

    02/05/2024

    Lessons from UKCTOCS, a large-scale trial in ovarian cancer screening

    UKCTOCS (UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening) is one of the largest screening trials in ovarian cancer. More than 200,000 women from England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in it, and it ran for almost two decades. Designing and running such a large and lengthy trial came with its own challenges. In this episode, Professor Usha Menon discusses the key challenges that UKCTOCS faced in its design, conduct an analysis, and how the team addressed them. Further information is available on the UKCTOCS website at https://ukctocs.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/ Listen to the episode about the UKCTOCS trial results at https://bit.ly/48pK94J For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk For more information and to access the transcript: https://bit.ly/45XRyWT As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    27 min
  3. Careers in TB trials with Andrew Nunn and Sarah Meredith

    01/26/2024

    Careers in TB trials with Andrew Nunn and Sarah Meredith

    In the first episode of our new Trial Talk series, Hanif Esmail and Conor Tweed take over the microphones to interview Andrew Nunn and Sarah Meredith, who have both recently retired from the Unit, having spent a combined total of 92 years working in the field of tuberculosis (TB). As we celebrate Andrew and Sarah’s long and accomplished careers, we’ll dive into the history of TB clinical trials and muse on the future of TB research. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-stories/2024/january/new-podcast-episode-careers-in-tb-clinical-trials/ Check out our earlier podcast episodes about TB trials, also featuring Andrew Nunn: • https://soundcloud.com/trial-talk-podcast/the-stream2-trial-how-should-we-treat-multi-drug-resistant-tuberculosis?si=013c930cbd184b7a93b64eb7101e57be&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing • https://soundcloud.com/trial-talk-podcast/andrew-nunn-talks-medical-statistics-tb-and-algerian-nomads-part-1?si=6b8c8c2da31a45fba323adbdd97c1f1b&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing • https://soundcloud.com/trial-talk-podcast/andrew-nunn-talks-medical-statistics-tb-and-algerian-nomads-part-2?si=1723fbebd5d746079dddb12a139f0eed&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    29 min
  4. World AIDS Day (part 2): Bringing hope through research to young people living with HIV

    12/01/2023

    World AIDS Day (part 2): Bringing hope through research to young people living with HIV

    Every year on 1st December, we mark World AIDS Day to show solidarity in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and to remember those who have sadly lost their lives. Since the start of the global AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, researchers have made enormous progress towards preventing HIV transmission, and treating those who are living with HIV so that the virus remains suppressed. But while there have been marked improvements for adults, treatment coverage in children and adolescents is lagging behind. In the second of our World AIDS Day episodes, we highlight the important role that young people living with HIV play in research, by shaping clinical trials to better serve the needs of their community. This episode features Lungile Jafta, who works closely with young people through Penta’s youth engagement programmes, and Gugu, a former Youth Trials Board member from South Africa who is living with HIV. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-stories/2023/december/trial-talk-podcast-releases-new-episodes-for-world-aids-day/ For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    19 min
  5. World AIDS Day (part 1): Closing the gap between adults and children

    12/01/2023

    World AIDS Day (part 1): Closing the gap between adults and children

    Every year on 1st December, we mark World AIDS Day to show solidarity in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and to remember those who have sadly lost their lives. Since the start of the global AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, researchers have made enormous progress towards preventing HIV transmission, and treating those who are living with HIV so that the virus remains suppressed. But while there have been marked improvements for adults, treatment coverage in children and adolescents is lagging behind. In the first of our World AIDS Day episodes, Dr Anna Turkova, Clinical Principal Research Fellow at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, and Philippa Musoke, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at Makerere University, explore the reasons for these disparities and how the MRC CTU at UCL is working to close the gap between adults and children through clinical trials. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-stories/2023/december/trial-talk-podcast-releases-new-episodes-for-world-aids-day/ For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    24 min
  6. Octopus (part 4): Involvement of people affected by MS with Susan Scott

    11/09/2023

    Octopus (part 4): Involvement of people affected by MS with Susan Scott

    Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. In the final part, we explore the role of people affected by MS in the Octopus trial. Susan Scott, a pharmaceutical publications specialist and Octopus patient representative, shares her involvement in the trial and explains how PPI has benefited Octopus so far. - For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/3S6FKP4 For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    20 min
  7. Octopus (part 3): The patients’ experience with Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin

    11/02/2023

    Octopus (part 3): The patients’ experience with Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin

    Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. In Part 3, MS experts Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin walk us through the journey that trial participants take when taking part in Octopus, from how to register your interest in the trial, to what to expect on your first visit. - For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/3S6FKP4 For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    24 min
  8. Octopus (part 2): Introducing the trial with Jeremy Chataway

    10/26/2023

    Octopus (part 2): Introducing the trial with Jeremy Chataway

    Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. Part 2 of the series explores our Octopus trial in depth. Professor Jeremy Chataway, lead investigator of Octopus, discusses its novel design, the treatments it will test, and the criteria for people to take part. He also explains the data researchers will collect and analyse to find out if a treatment is working. - For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/3S6FKP4 For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g

    24 min
See All (25)

About

The Trial Talk podcast explores how our work at the UCL Innovative Clinical Trials Unit (formerly the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL) is improving health in the UK and around the world. Through conversations with world leading experts, researchers, and patient representatives, we take listeners inside the studies we run. From clinical trials in cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions to pioneering research on trial methodology, the podcast unpacks important results, explores how studies can be designed and delivered more efficiently, and shows how public involvement is helping to shape better, smarter clinical trials.

Information

  • Creator
    MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2024
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    MRC CTU Podcasts