Events across the Network

Learning and Development Opportunities for Researchers and Trialists

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March 2024

This short course is specifically designed for trial managers, data managers, individuals involved in writing platform trial databases, and CI/statisticians interested in the practical aspects of platform trials.

Places are limited; please register as soon as possible to ensure you secure a place.

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April 2024

Title: Running a trial from concept to completion
Date: 22 April 2024
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Venue: 90 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 4TJ
Course lead: Rubina Begum, Senior Project Manager, CR UK & UCL CTC

This session gives an introductory overview of all the steps required to design, set up and complete an academic cancer trial conducted in the hospital setting.

Participants will know what all the organisations and people involved in trials do and what permissions and documents need to be in place at different stages of a trial. The course is of most interest to those new to working in academic cancer clinical trials. Those currently working in the field who would like to gain an overview of what happens at other stages to the one familiar to them, may also benefit.

Register here.

This one-day workshop led by the Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit is intended for chief investigators working on, or planning, their first large-scale clinical trial with a CTU.

Delegates will hear from clinical trials unit staff about optimal trial delivery and gain insights and peer support from a wide range of experienced Chief Investigators. They will also learn about the wider clinical trials landscape including the funder perspective, mentoring, patient and public involvement, and equality diversity, and inclusion.

Find out more and secure your place here.

Title: Practical use of multiple imputation to handle missing data in Stata
Date: 22 – 25 April 2024
Time: 09:00 – 13:00
Venue: via Zoom
Hosts: Ian White, Angela Wood, Tim Morris

The aim of this course is to provide participants with the ability to analyse their own data using multiple imputation, but also to be aware of the pitfalls and limitations of the technique. For further information on course content and to register please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/clinical-trials-and-methodology/education/short-courses/missing-data

Places are limited; please register as soon as possible to ensure you secure a place.

A meeting for statisticians working in one of the Network’s registered CTUs. This event will showcase some of the innovative work being undertaken in Leeds and around the Network, as well as offering opportunities to share experiences and expertise.

Themes for this meeting include the move towards personalised medicine in cancer trials, complex intervention optimisation, and statistical innovation and guidance on methods and analysis in surgery.

Registration will be managed via the Network Secretariat.

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This event is for clinical trial statisticians or statistically minded trialists and clinicians who want to know more about adaptive clinical trials. The day will include three sessions on Group Sequential Trial Designs, Response-Adaptive Randomisation and Sample Size Re-estimation. There will be talks on implementation strategies, examples of their use in practice and discussions about methodological challenges. 

Find out more and register

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May 2024

Title: Introduction to RECIST and iRECIST Response Criteria
Date: 3 May 2024 – 09:30-13:00
Venue: Online via Zoom
Host: CR UK & UCL CTC

This is a newly developed training session that covers the following aspects:

• Introduction to response assessment criteria: why do we need standards
• RECIST criteria guidelines: how are these reflected in the Trial Protocol?
• RECIST and iRECIST: what are the differences?
• Imaging methods of response assessment
• Design and analysis of trials using response assessment
• Response assessment in the future generation of cancer trials

Speakers:

• Giulia Pellizzari, Lecturer and Education Lead, CR UK & UCL CTC
• Andre Lopes, Research Fellow and Medical Statistician, CR UK & UCL CTC
• Emily Ambrose, Trial Manager (TC), CR UK & UCL CTC
• Dr Irfan, UCLH

For more information, and to book your place, please visit https://onlinestore.ucl.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/faculty-of-medical-sciences-c10/cancer-research-uk-ucl-cancer-trials-centre-h01/h01-introduction-to-recist-irecist.

Title: Introducing the multiphase optimisation strategy (MOST) and optimisation trials
Date: 7 – 9 May 2024
Venue: Leeds
Course leads: Rebecca Walwyn and Sam Smith, Leeds CTRU

This CPD course will provide an overview of a new framework for designing, optimising and evaluating complex interventions, and is well-suited to anyone involved in intervention design, clinical trials and/or behaviour change (social scientists, statisticians, methodologists among others).

If you have any questions regarding the course, please email s.smith1@leeds.ac.uk. Alternatively, to reserve your place, please email Wendy Hobson w.hobson@leeds.ac.uk.

Following the success of previous years and keeping pace with the latest developments in the design, conduct and analysis of stepped wedge trials, we are delighted to invite you to the virtual City of York.

The conference will take place online on 13th – 15th May 2024 with a variety of presentations and discussions grouped into topical sessions throughout the three days. You are welcome to join as many sessions as you wish. Full timings will be released nearer the time.

This online conference will be a platform to share ideas, experience, best practice and challenges for the design, implementation and analysis of the stepped wedge design model.

More information, including details on how to register, can be found here: www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/trials/stepped-wedge2024/

The booking page is now open for our 5-day Fundamentals of Clinical Trials course at Trent Vineyard in Nottingham:  https://store.nottingham.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/conferences/schools-and-departments/medicine/fundamentals-of-clinical-trials-may-2024

The course introduces the key considerations when designing and conducting a randomised clinical trial. Throughout the five-day course, delegates will learn why clinical trials are necessary, how different kinds of trials are designed and how bias can be minimised, how trials are managed and then analysed, interpreted and reported. The course will not consider non-randomised trials or other observational designs, or trials evaluating diagnostic tests. We will primarily focus on large multi-centre clinical trials, considering both drug and complex intervention trials.

Further details can also be found on our website – https://www.nctu.ac.uk/short-courses/fundamentals-of-clinical-trials.aspx

Title: Entering patients into cancer clinical trials
Date: 16 May 2024
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Venue: 90 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 4TJ
Course lead: Laura Hughes, Trial Manager, CR UK & UCL CTC

This session gives a comprehensive overview of the clinical pathways cancer patients can take to be eventually referred for trial entry.

The first part of the session spans across the diagnostic methods and staging of cancer and gives a brief overview of the common tests carried out prior to trial treatment. In the second part of the session participants will learn about the importance of ensuring only eligible patients enter a trial and how eligibility criteria help to safeguard patients and differ amongst different phases of trials. They will also learn the importance of assessing treatment compliance and how every clinical intervention comes with a different set of challenges in collecting data about patient compliance.

Register here.

Title: Using Simulation Studies to Evaluate Statistical Methods 2024
Date: 14 May 2024 – 17 May 2024
Time: 14:00 – 17:00 UK Time
Venue: via Zoom
Hosts: Professor Ian White, Dr Tim Morris, Dr Matteo Quartagno, Dr Tra My Pham, MRC CTU at UCL.

Simulation studies are an important tool for statistical research. They help us understand the properties of statistical methods and compare different methods. To perform a meaningful simulation study, careful thought needs to be put into the planning, coding, analysis and interpretation. Participants are expected to attend all sessions but course materials will be available in case of unexpected missed sessions.

For more details on the course, and to register, please visit www.ucl.ac.uk/clinical-trials-and-methodology/education/short-courses/simulation.

Places are limited; please register as soon as possible to ensure you secure a place.

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June 2024

Title: Cancer treatments and their side-effects
Date: 17 June 2024
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Venue: 90 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 4TJ
Course lead: Giulia Pellizzari, Lecturer, CR UK & UCL CTC

This session is a basic introduction to cancer treatments and their most common side-effects and adverse reactions.
The course provides an overview on cancer surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy we well as insights on the mechanisms of action of targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, small inhibitory molecules, CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In the second part of the session, participants will learn about the mechanisms of toxicity linked to the different categories of cancer therapy and how these are managed.
This course is not recommended for clinicians.

Register here.

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July 2024

The Medical Statistics Department (MSD) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) will be running a short course on the essentials of clinical trials. This popular course has been running since 1999, each year receiving very positive feedback from those attending. The course is taught by staff at LSHTM who have extensive experience in the design, conduct and analysis of clinical trials. The teaching consists of a blend of theory and application through a combination of lectures and practicals. The course will be delivered using a hybrid format with students able to attend either in person at LSHTM or online.

This course provides attendees with a clear understanding of the fundamental principles of Randomised Clinical Trials (RCTs). Lectures and practical sessions cover the key issues to be considered in design, conduct, analysis and reporting, with a focus on major clinical trials which directly influence clinical practice. Topics are addressed with perspectives from both public sector research and the pharmaceutical industry. The course is relevant to those who are keen to gain an understanding of the rigorous evaluation of interventions in health care, including clinical research professionals, research managers, and other scientists with an interest in clinical trials.

Please note that places on the course are limited and applying early is advised.

The course runs for 5 days from the 1^st  to 5^th  July 2024.

**The course is awaiting approval by the UK Royal College of Physicians for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits. Historically it has carried 30 credits**

For further information and an application form please visit: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/study/courses/short-courses/clinical-trials

Title: Trial outcomes: what are we trying to measure?
Date: 4 July 2024
Time: 10:00-13:00
Venue: 90 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 4TJ
Course lead: Will Wilson, Statistician, CR UK & UCL CTC

This session, aimed at non-statisticians, will cover the most common primary outcomes measures used in early and late phase cancer trials.

Participants will learn what makes a good outcome measure, how outcomes measures are defined and what data need to be collected to assess the outcome, especially for tumour response assessment and time to event measures such as survival and disease (or progression) free survival.

Register here.

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