Homerton’s Research and Innovation capabilities are set to grow thanks to a share of £4.75m in funding
Thanks to the funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) residents of City and Hackney will gain access to new and innovative treatments as part of commercial trials. The inclusion of Homerton’s diverse patients in clinical trials should also help reduce current inequalities in medical research.
Homerton will become part of one of 14 hubs in England designated as a Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC). The proposal for the Centre’s creation was organised by Barts Health and supported by both the Homerton and Barking, Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
A total of 11 new research staff will be involved in the new Centre, with a new research nurse and data manager dedicated to the Homerton. Space and equipment to deliver the research will be provided at a brand-new clinical research facility housed at the Royal London Hospital.
With access to new staff and facilities, Homerton’s research team aims to increase the number of commercial clinical trials it runs by 25% within the first year and double patient recruitment by the end of the third year.
“Previously our capacity to carry out research has been limited by lack of space for patients to be seen or time or availability of equipment to do detailed tests” said Mr Humza Malik, Director of Research and Innovation. “The centre provides a protected space and resources dedicated to research”.
“In Hackney we have such a diverse population - they don't all get the chance to access research and we want to make sure we reach those people who don’t typically get a chance to take part” says Lindsay Johnson, Research and Innovation Manager.
“This is great for patients but also for the research itself” Humza explains “If you think about when the Covid vaccines came out there was criticism that the trial populations didn’t represent the diverse ethnicity we have in the UK, giving City and Hackney’s residents access to trials will certainly help reflect drug outcomes better.”
The new CRDC is expected be up and running from April 2025.