Clatterbridge has a growing national reputation for excellence in cancer research and central why we do this is to improve outcomes for our patients. We want to make a real impact in improving the cancer journey for people in Cheshire and Merseyside.
We aim to enable all our patients to be involved in many types of research, from clinical trials of new treatments, including pioneering immunotherapies, gene therapy, cancer ‘vaccines’ and first in class drugs, to radiotherapy studies and the chance to donate their samples to our Biobank (see How you can get involved in research).
Research is at the heart of what we do at Clatterbridge and not act as a participating research site but act as Sponsor for studies developed by our own clinicians. Currently, we are Sponsor for several studies across various disease sites, which means we can encourage and support our clinicians to lead national and international studies (see Research Sponsorship).
We strive to improve patient care by staying at the forefront of pioneering treatments, technologies and techniques to deliver more effective and personalised therapies than ever before.
We do this by delivering high quality cancer research, including in:
- A continually growing portfolio of research studies led by our consultants and for which we act as Sponsor, including in cancer vaccines
- A portfolio of National Institute for Health Research studies (Phases II, III)
- Pharmaceutical commercially sponsored clinical trials (Phases I, II and III)
- Gene therapy studies
- Translational research, novel biomarker studies
- Radiotherapy physics and radiobiological modelling
- Radiotherapy, systemic therapy and supportive studies
- Quality of life and survivorship studies
- Qualitative research.
The support of CCC-led studies brings many benefits:
- Raises our profile as a national opinion leader through clinicians acting as Chief Investigator for novel, impactful research studies
- Provides a clear research development pathway for our ‘home-grown’ clinicians and research and clinical fellows
- Makes us an exciting and attractive organisation to bring in talented research focused clinicians
- Brings forward academic partnerships (with the University of Liverpool and beyond) and collaborations for a total bench to bedside approach for research benefit
- Feeds into the ambition and aims of the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) High Level Objectives.
