Myeloma UK launches innovative clinical trial network

Yorkshire myeloma patients are set to be among the first to benefit from an innovative Myeloma Clinical Trial Network launched by Myeloma UK.

The Network is designed to transform the way drugs for the bone marrow cancer myeloma are tested and accessed in the UK.  It brings together for the first time clinical specialists and researchers, the pharmaceutical industry and NHS regulatory bodies to conceive, design and manage a portfolio of early phase trials of novel myeloma drugs in the UK.

The first trials are expected to recruit patients in early 2010 and will be centrally co-ordinated by the Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), based at the University of Leeds. Myeloma UK will invest over £3 million into this network over the next 5 years, with additional investment to be leveraged from existing and future funding opportunities.

Eric Low, Myeloma UK Chief Executive commented: "This is a huge investment for a cancer organisation of our size and we are confident that it will lead to important benefits for myeloma patients across the UK."

He continues: "The model we have developed could apply beyond myeloma and have huge implications for the way other rare disease communities trial new drugs. Through effective cooperation and a strategic approach, our research model aims to overcome many of the barriers which currently prevent patients in the UK from receiving timely access to the best available treatment."

Eight established research centres around the country, including St James's Institute of Oncology at St James's University Hospital, Leeds have been recruited as trial sites to lead the trial portfolio.  The CTRU, University of Leeds, will act as the national central co-ordinating centre, and will play a vital role in the network, providing expertise in trial design, management and analysis, as well as supporting the centres by handling all the administration, contracts, and red tape currently done by each individual hospital.

Dr Sue Bell, senior trial manager, Clinical Trials Research Unit (CTRU), University of Leeds, said:

"We are delighted to be involved in this innovative collaboration.  CTRU has been co-ordinating national myeloma clinical trials since the early 1990s, but these have traditionally relied on obtaining project-specific grant income, which can be a lengthy process. The investment from Myeloma UK will provide the infrastructure to support a core team of staff in our unit, enabling us to take forward the early phase trials within the network more rapidly.  The results of these trials will help inform future treatment options for myeloma patients."

Dr Gordon Cook, PhD, Consultant Haematologist at the St James's Institute of Oncology,  St James's University Hospital, Leeds  - one of the network trial sites - explained the purpose of the network:

"This new clinical research initiative by Myeloma UK offers an opportunity for Myeloma specialists in the UK to work closely together in bringing new potential drugs to the myeloma clinic, giving patients in the UK a chance to experience novel innovative therapies that may have an impact on their disease.

"Working collaboratively, we can attract academic institutions and industry to develop clinical trial research to bring these new potential therapies developed in laboratories to the clinical arena quicker than before. Key to developing these new treatments will be the determination of the safety and effectiveness of the drugs, which underpins this initiative. This is a very exciting opportunity for the people of Yorkshire to be at the forefront of medical research in Multiple Myeloma."

The network intends to support the wider efforts of the Government and research community to champion innovation, improve the competitiveness of the UK as a site for clinical research, and encourage the speedy introduction of new drugs into NHS practice.