Here at the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, we run a programme of translational research embedded into clinical trials, working alongside our partners to ensure the very best in innovative research. We work with both academic and biotech teams, and pathology laboratories, to ensure our trials deliver research for rapid patient benefit.
Our translational work focuses on:
The iDx Lung trial is a ground-breaking collaboration between the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit, the University of Leeds, and healthcare and diagnostic companies, and aims to find new ways to detect lung cancer at an early stage when it is more treatable.
People at high risk of lung cancer who are invited to attend Lung Health Checks in Hampshire, Yorkshire and Manchester for a CT scan will also be asked to take part in the iDx Lung trial where they will give a nasal swab and a blood sample.
These samples will be analysed for changes that could indicate the early signs of cancer developing so patients can begin treatment quickly when it is far more likely to be successful.
The translational arm of the trial aims to determine whether using these simple biological tests, which have already been shown to have prognostic potential, can show benefit in the real world in a large patient population.
The trial has shown that data from the translational laboratory analysis can be available for clinical teams in time for information on the biomarkers present in a patient’s blood sample to help inform what type of treatment they should receive – an example of a clinical trial demonstrating personalised treatment pathways, thanks to translational research.
The Southampton Clinical Trials Unit has a large repository of patient samples from many different cell types and disease types, where trial participants have given permission for their samples to continue to be used in medical research.
If you would like access to these samples to use in your own research, please visit our Patient Sample web page.
For more information on our patient sample repository or to request a sample please email ctutranslational@soton.ac.uk.
The Southampton Clinical Trials Unit Translational Programme works closely with the Wessex Investigational Sciences Hub (WISH) Lab, the Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, and the University of Southampton Tissue Bank.