Trial Talk podcast

25:11

At the start of October, lots of the Unit’s clinical trials methodology researchers travelled to Edinburgh, for the 7th International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference (ICTMC). ICTMC is the largest academic-led conference on clinical trials, bringing together trialists from across the globe to present their latest work in trials methodology. This year's conference featured a wide variety of workshops, talks and poster presentations from MRC Clinical Trials Unit researchers. I n this latest episode of the Trial Talk podcast, four of the Unit’s early career researchers discuss the work they presented at ICTMC 2024. Gideon Darko Asamoah tells us how he will deliver a core outcome set for trials in severe malaria; Jingyi Xuan describes her project addressing intercurrent events in platform trials; Dongquan Bi discusses the effects of different cluster sizes in cluster trials; and finally, Kate Roberts explains how she aims to improve the wording around consent for accessing trial participants' healthcare records. For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/4f9grVi As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g More resources: • Developing a core outcome set for severe malaria trials poster: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/identi…nd-caregivers/ • Specifying estimands and estimators in trials with complex designs poster: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/specif…mplex-designs/ • Demystifying estimands in cluster-randomised trials paper in Statistical Methods in Medical Research: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09622802241254197 • Estimands in cluster-randomised trials paper in International Journal of Epidemiology: academic.oup.com/ije/article/52/1/107/6644521 • Current practice around the use of estimands in cluster randomised trials, and the impact of informative cluster size on inference poster: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/curren…on-inferences/ • ICTMC 2024 Poster 167 – A rap song (Lyrics by Dongquan Bi, beat by David Fitzgerald): youtu.be/s7qZ5TnOlWU?si=iXwfFfSAWwJ-fAmk • CrossWord poster: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/posters/crossw…ing-materials/ Date of episode recording: 2024-10-30T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:25:09 Language of episode: English Presenter:Charlotte Hartley Guests: Gideon Darko Asamoah, Jingyi Xuan, Donguan Bi, Kate Roberts Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 7: Preventing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis 32:51

23 weeks ago32:51

32:51

In September 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidance on preventative treatment for tuberculosis (TB). Thanks to new evidence from two randomised controlled clinical trials, the WHO now recommends that contacts of people with multidrug-resistant TB take six months of daily levofloxacin. In this episode of the Trial Talk podcast, we find out more about the TB-CHAMP and VQUIN trials. We also learn how the teams came together to combine their data and strengthen their evidence, using new statistical methodologies developed at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. The episode features interviews with Anneke Hesseling, Principal Investigator for TB-CHAMP, based at Stellenbosch University, and Trinh Duong, based at the MRC CTU at UCL, the trial statistician for TB-CHAMP and lead for the combined data analysis with VQUIN. For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/3XTf8na As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2024-09-23 Duration: 00:32:50 Language of episode: English Presenter: Charlotte Hartley Guests: Anneke Hesseling, Trinh Duong Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 6: The OPTIC study: Patient views on optimising immunotherapy in cancer 25:24

36 weeks ago25:24

25:24

Optimisation immunotherapy clinical trials investigate ways of reducing the intensity of immunotherapy cancer treatment. This could be beneficial for patients’ quality of life. But these trials can be challenging to run, as patients may be concerned about the impact that reducing the intensity of treatment could have on the cancer. This episode of the Trial Talk podcast focuses on the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL’s OPTIC study, which explores how people with cancer feel about taking part in optimisation immunotherapy trials. Clinical Fellow Sophie Merrick discusses the main barriers that patients face and recommendations to address them. Resources: •OPTIC study page: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/studies/all-st…/refine/optic/ •OPTIC results paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41416-024-02756-x.pdf •REFINE podcast episode: on.soundcloud.com/Fe3C76csHkgCg2or5 For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/4c9SfAr As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2024-06-18T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:25:23 Language of episode: English Presenter: Berta Terre-Torras Guests: Sophie Merrick Producer: Berta Terre-Torras…

Trial Talk

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Episode 5: Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in clinical trials 34:44

40 weeks ago34:44

34:44

The MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL is committed to actively involving patients and the public in our trials. All our Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) work is overseen by our PPI Group, made up of MRC CTU staff alongside seven patient representatives, with a wide range of experience in different areas. In this episode of the Trial Talk podcast, two members of the Unit’s PPI Group, Richard Stephens and Ian Newsome, discuss what PPI means to them; how they got involved as patient representatives in clinical research; and how the MRC CTU at UCL embeds PPI into our trials. Resources: • Our PPI group: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/patients-publi…our-ppi-group/ • PPI resources: www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/patients-publi…ppi-resources/ • Testing Treatments: Better Research for Better Healthcare (book): www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK66204/ For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/3KlKtak For questions or feedback on the podcast series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Other details: Date of episode recording: 2024-05-29T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:34:43 Language of episode: English Presenter:Charlotte Hartley Guests: Ian Newsome, Richard Stephens Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 4: Estimands - Answering the right research questions 21:30

45 weeks ago21:30

21:30

An estimand is a description of the research question a trial seeks to answer, which can help researchers better understand how their study should be designed and analysed. Estimands also provide a clear way to communicate treatment effects to different stakeholders. This episode of the Trial Talk podcast features Principal Research Fellow Brennan Kahan, exploring how triallists could benefit from using estimands. Brennan also discusses his recent paper which aims to demystify new guidance on the use of estimands. Resources: • The estimands framework: a primer on the ICH E9(R1): www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-076316 • 'We must let the research question drive study methods' opinion piece: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9908044/ • Estimands in cluster-randomized trials: choosing analyses that answer the right question: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9908044/ For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/4dazsWF For questions or feedback on the podcast series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2024-04-25T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:21:29 Language of episode: English Presenter: Charlotte Hartley Guests: Brennan Kahan Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 3: Subgroup analysis - Who benefits most from a treatment? 28:45

51 weeks ago28:45

28:45

Clinical trial results usually tell us how effective a treatment was on average for the overall group of participants, but a key question for clinicians, patients and policy makers is: which individual patients benefit most from the treatment and which don’t benefit as much? In the latest episode of the Trial Talk podcast, Peter Godolphin and David Fisher discuss a new method for determining how treatment effects differ between subgroups of patients across multiple clinical trials, as well as how other meta-analysis researchers can use it. Resources: • Estimating interactions and subgroup-specific treatment effects in meta-analysis without aggregation bias: A within-trial framework onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jrsm.1590 • Cochrane webinar recording training.cochrane.org/resource/estim…-meta-analysis • GitHub page for metafloat package in Stata github.com/UCL/metafloat • WHO REACT Group: IL6 Prospective meta-analysis jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2781880 • STOPCAP collaborators: Docetaxel IPD meta-analysis www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/…00230-9/fulltext For questions about the within-trial framework for subgroup analysis, you can email d.fisher@ucl.ac.uk or p.godolphin@ucl.ac.uk . For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/43boETF For questions or feedback on the podcast series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2024-03-12T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:28:44 Language of episode: English Presenter: Charlotte Hartley Guests: Peter Godolphin, David Fisher Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 2: Lessons from UKCTOCS, a large-scale trial in ovarian cancer screening 26:58

1 year ago26:58

26:58

UKCTOCS (UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening) is one of the largest screening trials in ovarian cancer. More than 200,000 women from England, Wales and Northern Ireland took part in it, and it ran for almost two decades. Designing and running such a large and lengthy trial came with its own challenges. In this episode, Professor Usha Menon discusses the key challenges that UKCTOCS faced in its design, conduct an analysis, and how the team addressed them. Further information is available on the UKCTOCS website at ukctocs.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk Listen to the episode about the UKCTOCS trial results at bit.ly/48pK94J For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/45XRyWT As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2023-11-23T00:00:00Z Duration: 00:26:57 Language of episode: English Presenter: Berta Terre-Torras Guests: Usha Menon Producer: Berta Terre-Torras…

Trial Talk

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Episode 1: Careers in TB trials with Andrew Nunn and Sarah Meredith 28:57

1 year ago28:57

28:57

In the first episode of our new Trial Talk series, Hanif Esmail and Conor Tweed take over the microphones to interview Andrew Nunn and Sarah Meredith, who have both recently retired from the Unit, having spent a combined total of 92 years working in the field of tuberculosis (TB). As we celebrate Andrew and Sarah’s long and accomplished careers, we’ll dive into the history of TB clinical trials and muse on the future of TB research. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-stories/2024/january/new-podcast-episode-careers-in-tb-clinical-trials Check out our earlier podcast episodes about TB trials, also featuring Andrew Nunn: • Trial-talk-podcast – The-stream2-trial-how-should-we-treat-multi-drug-resistant-tuberculosis • Trial-talk-podcast – Andrew-nunn-talks-medical-statistics-tb-and-algerian-nomads-part-1 • Trial-talk-podcast – Andrew-nunn-talks-medical-statistics-tb-and-algerian-nomads-part-2 For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2024-01-26T00:00:00Z Duration: 28:56 Language of episode: English Presenters: Charlotte Hartley, Hanif Esmail, Conor Tweed Guests: Andrew Nunn, Sarah Meredith Producer: Charlotte Hartley The Trial Talk podcast explores how our work at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL is improving health in the UK and worldwide. In this new series, we will hear from world-leading experts about the studies we carry out. We delve into trials on cancer, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases, explore how public and patient involvement shapes our work, and discover new ways to run smarter studies.…

Trial Talk

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Episode 10 (part 2): World AIDS Day: Bringing hope through research to young people living with HIV with Lungile Jafta and Gugu 19:02

1 year ago19:02

19:02

Every year on 1st December, we mark World AIDS Day to show solidarity in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and to remember those who have sadly lost their lives. Since the start of the global AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, researchers have made enormous progress towards preventing HIV transmission, and treating those who are living with HIV so that the virus remains suppressed. But while there have been marked improvements for adults, treatment coverage in children and adolescents is lagging behind. In the second of our World AIDS Day episodes, we highlight the important role that young people living with HIV play in research, by shaping clinical trials to better serve the needs of their community. This episode features Lungile Jafta, who works closely with young people through Penta’s youth engagement programmes, and Gugu, a former Youth Trials Board member from South Africa who is living with HIV. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-stories/2023/december/trial-talk-podcast-releases-new-episodes-for-world-aids-day/ For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2023-12-01 Duration: 00:19:01 Language of episode: English Presenter: Charlotte Hartley Guests: Lungile Jafta, Gugu (former Youth Trials Board member) Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 10 (part 1): World AIDS Day: Closing the gap between adults and children with Anna Turkova and Philippa Musoke 24:05

1 year ago24:05

24:05

Every year on 1st December, we mark World AIDS Day to show solidarity in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and to remember those who have sadly lost their lives. Since the start of the global AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, researchers have made enormous progress towards preventing HIV transmission, and treating those who are living with HIV so that the virus remains suppressed. But while there have been marked improvements for adults, treatment coverage in children and adolescents is lagging behind. In the first of our World AIDS Day episodes, Dr Anna Turkova, Clinical Principal Research Fellow at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, and Philippa Musoke, Professor of Paediatrics and Child Health at Makerere University, explore the reasons for these disparities and how the MRC CTU at UCL is working to close the gap between adults and children through clinical trials. For more information and to access the transcript: https://www.mrcctu.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-stories/2023/december/trial-talk-podcast-releases-new-episodes-for-world-aids-day/ For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g Date of episode recording: 2023-12-01 Duration: 00:24:04 Language of episode: English Presenter: Charlotte Hartley Guests: Anna Turkova, Philippa Musoke Producer: Charlotte Hartley…

Trial Talk

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Episode 9 (part 4): Octopus: Involvement of people affected by MS with Susan Scott 20:03

1 year ago20:03

20:03

Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. In the final part, we explore the role of people affected by MS in the Octopus trial. Susan Scott, a pharmaceutical publications specialist and Octopus patient representative, shares her involvement in the trial and explains how PPI has benefited Octopus so far. For more information and to access the transcript: bit.ly/3S6FKP4 For questions or feedback on the series, message us at mrcctu.engage@ucl.ac.uk . As a listener, your opinion is very valuable to us. Please help us to improve the podcast in the future by filling in this short survey: forms.office.com/e/PjfjQ5Mn6g. Date of episode recording: 2023-05-19Duration: 00:20:02Language of episode: EnglishPresenter: Berta Terre-TorrasGuests: Susan ScottProducer: Berta Terre-Torra…

Trial Talk

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Episode 9 (part 3): Octopus: The patients’ experience with Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin 24:05

1 year ago24:05

24:05

Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. In Part 3, MS experts Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin walk us through the journey that trial participants take when taking part in Octopus, from how to register your interest in the trial, to what to expect on your first visit. For more information and to access the transcript: https://bit.ly/3S6FKP4 Date of episode recording: 2023-06-06 Duration: 00:24:04 Language of episode: English Presenter: Berta Terre-Torras Guests: Dawn Lyle, Matthew Justin Producer: Berta Terre-Torras…

Trial Talk

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Episode 9 (part 2): Octopus: Introducing the trial with Jeremy Chataway 24:11

1 year ago24:11

24:11

Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL.Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. Part 1 covers the treatment and research landscape of MS and the challenges of treating progressive MS. It features Jeremy Chataway, neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at UCLH, and Professor of Neurology at UCL, and co-lead of the Neurodegenerative Diseases programme at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, who is leading the Octopus trial. We also hear from Dawn Lyle, Lead Research MS Nurse, and Matthew Justin, MS Specialist, who are based at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurologic Clinic in Edinburgh. For more information and to access the transcript: https://bit.ly/3S6FKP4 Date of episode recording: 2023-07-06 Duration: 00:24:10 Language of episode: English Presenter:Berta Terre-Torras Guests: Jeremy Chataway Producer: Berta Terre-Torras…

Trial Talk

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Episode 9 (part 1): Octopus: The multiple sclerosis landscape with Jeremy Chataway, Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin 17:21

1 year ago17:21

17:21

Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years. The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS. Part 1 covers the treatment and research landscape of MS and the challenges of treating progressive MS. It features Jeremy Chataway, neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at UCLH and Professor of Neurology at UCL, who is leading the Octopus trial. We also hear from Dawn Lyle, Lead Research MS Nurse, and Matthew Justin, MS Specialist, who are based at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurologic Clinic in Edinburgh. For more information and to access the transcript: https://bit.ly/3S6FKP4 Date of episode recording: 2023-06-07 Duration: 00:17:20 Language of episode: English Presenter:Berta Terre-Torras Guests: Jeremy Chattaway; Dawn Lyle; Matthew Justin Producer: Berta Terre-Torras…

Trial Talk

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Episode 8: Optimising treatments with the new MAMS-ROCI design 24:29

1 year ago24:29