Best MRC Clinical Trials Unit At UCL Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 8: International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference 2024 roundup - Early Careers Edition 25:11

6M ago25:11

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. T…

1
International Clinical Trials Methodology Conference 2024 roundup - early careers edition 25:09

6M ago25:09

25:09

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. Th…

1
Episode 7: Preventing multidrug-resistant tuberculosis 32:51

7M 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 podca…

1
Episode 6: The OPTIC study: Patient views on optimising immunotherapy in cancer 25:24

10M 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 …

1
Episode 5: Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in clinical trials 34:44

11M 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,…

1
Episode 4: Estimands - Answering the right research questions 21:30

1y 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 …

1
Episode 3: Subgroup analysis - Who benefits most from a treatment? 28:45

1y 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…

1
Episode 2: Lessons from UKCTOCS, a large-scale trial in ovarian cancer screening 26:58

1y 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…

1
Lessons from UKCTOCS, a large-scale trial in ovarian cancer screening 26:57

1y ago26:57

26:57

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…

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

1+ y 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…

1
Careers in TB trials with Andrew Nunn and Sarah Meredith 28:56

1+ y ago28:56

28:56

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…

1
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+ y 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 …

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

1+ y 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 …

1
World AIDS Day (part 2): Bringing hope through research to young people living with HIV 19:01

1+ y ago19:01

19:01

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 …

1
World AIDS Day (part 1): Closing the gap between adults and children 24:04

1+ y ago24:04

24:04

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 …

1
Episode 9 (part 4): Octopus: Involvement of people affected by MS with Susan Scott 20:03

1+ y 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 recrui…

1
Octopus (part 4): Involvement of people affected by MS with Susan Scott 20:02

1+ y ago20:02

20:02

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 recrui…

1
Episode 9 (part 3): Octopus: The patients’ experience with Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin 24:05

1+ y 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 recrui…

1
Octopus (part 3): The patients’ experience with Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin 24:04

1+ y ago24:04

24:04

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 recrui…

1
Episode 9 (part 2): Octopus: Introducing the trial with Jeremy Chataway 24:11

1+ y 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 recruit…

1
Octopus (part 2): Introducing the trial with Jeremy Chataway 24:10

1+ y ago24:10

24:10

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 recrui…

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

1+ y 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 …

1
Octopus (part 1): The MS landscape with Jeremy Chataway, Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin 17:20

1+ y ago17:20

17:20

Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC CTU 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…

1
Optimising treatments with the new MAMS-ROCI design 24:28

1+ y ago24:28

24:28

Innovative platform designs present an opportunity to run faster and more efficient clinical trials. Clinical trials methodology is a research area that looks at how to improve the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials. It focuses on developing and implementing new methods to help run trials faster and more efficiently, that will ultimat…

1
Episode 8: Optimising treatments with the new MAMS-ROCI design 24:29

1+ y ago24:29

24:29

Innovative platform designs present an opportunity to run faster and more efficient clinical trials. Clinical trials methodology is a research area that looks at how to improve the design, conduct, and analysis of clinical trials. It focuses on developing and implementing new methods to help run trials faster and more efficiently, that will ultimat…

1
Episode 7: STAMPEDE (part 3): Impact and legacy 23:24

1+ y ago23:24

23:24

STAMPEDE is a long-running trial in advanced prostate cancer, in which nearly 12,000 men have taken part. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, STAMPEDE has tested many different treatments and directly led to improvements in the standard of prostate cancer care several times. This Trial Talk podcast mini-series will explore the tria…

1
Episode 7: STAMPEDE (part 2): The role of the patient voice 18:01

1+ y ago18:01

18:01

STAMPEDE is a long-running trial in advanced prostate cancer, in which nearly 12,000 men have taken part. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, STAMPEDE has tested many different treatments and directly led to improvements in the standard of prostate cancer care several times. This Trial Talk podcast mini-series will explore the tria…

1
STAMPEDE (part 3): Impact and legacy with Max Parmar & Nick James 23:23

1+ y ago23:23

23:23

STAMPEDE is a long-running trial in advanced prostate cancer, in which nearly 12,000 men have taken part. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, STAMPEDE has tested many different treatments and directly led to improvements in the standard of prostate cancer care several times. This Trial Talk podcast mini-series will explore the tria…

1
STAMPEDE (part 2): The role of the patient voice with David Matheson, Max Parmar & Nick James 18:00

1+ y ago18:00

18:00

STAMPEDE is a long-running trial in advanced prostate cancer, in which nearly 12,000 men have taken part. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, STAMPEDE has tested many different treatments and directly led to improvements in the standard of prostate cancer care several times. This Trial Talk podcast mini-series will explore the tria…

1
Episode 7: STAMPEDE (part 1): A new era for prostate cancer research 18:04

1+ y ago18:04

18:04

STAMPEDE is a long-running trial in advanced prostate cancer, in which nearly 12,000 men have taken part. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, STAMPEDE has tested many different treatments and directly led to improvements in the standard of prostate cancer care several times. This Trial Talk podcast mini-series will explore the tria…

1
STAMPEDE (part 1): A new era for prostate cancer research with Max Parmar & Nick James 18:03

1+ y ago18:03

18:03

STAMPEDE is a long-running trial in advanced prostate cancer, in which nearly 12,000 men have taken part. Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, STAMPEDE has tested many different treatments and directly led to improvements in the standard of prostate cancer care several times. This Trial Talk podcast mini-series will explore the tria…

1
Episode 6: The REFINE trial: how can we improve the way we give cancer immunotherapy? 16:58

2y ago16:58

16:58

Immunotherapy drugs fight cancer by helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. These drugs have revolutionised cancer treatment over the last decade, improving survival for many people with different types of cancer. However, researchers are still unsure of the best way to give immunotherapy, which can come with unpredictable side…

1
The REFINE trial: How can we improve the way we give cancer immunotherapy? 16:57

2y ago16:57

16:57

Immunotherapy drugs fight cancer by helping the immune system recognise and attack cancer cells. These drugs have revolutionised cancer treatment over the last decade, improving survival for many people with different types of cancer. However, researchers are still unsure of the best way to give immunotherapy, which can come with unpredictable side…

1
Episode 5: How can clinical trials make the most of healthcare systems data? 25:40

2y ago25:40

25:40

Running a clinical trial means collecting a lot of data from the trial participants. But some of this data might be collected and stored in healthcare systems, as well as in clinical trial case report forms. What if we could avoid this doubling up, save time and resources, improve recruitment and reduce missing data? In this episode we explore the …

1
How can clinical trials make the most of healthcare systems data? 25:39

2y ago25:39

25:39

Running a clinical trial means collecting a lot of data from the trial participants. But some of this data might be collected and stored in healthcare systems, as well as in clinical trial case report forms. What if we could avoid this doubling up, save time and resources, improve recruitment and reduce missing data? In this episode we explore the …

1
Episode 4: Neonatal infections (part 2): How the NeoSep1 trial will help treat sick newborns 21:14

2y ago21:14

21:14

Neonatal sepsis is a life-threatening infection that affects up to 3 million babies per year globally. In an effort to identify better treatments, the NeoSep1 clinical trial evaluates new antibiotic combinations for newborn babies with sepsis. To learn more about the trial, we speak to Adrie Bekker and Cristina Obiero, principal investigators of th…

1
Neonatal infections (part 2): How the NeoSep1 trial will help treat sick newborns 21:13

2y ago21:13

21:13

Neonatal sepsis is a life-threatening infection that affects up to 3 million babies per year globally. In an effort to identify better treatments, the NeoSep1 clinical trial evaluates new antibiotic combinations for newborn babies with sepsis. To learn more about the trial, we speak to Adrie Bekker and Cristina Obiero, principal investigators of th…

1
Episode 4: Neonatal infections (part 1): The NeoOBS study and the global challenge of neonatal sepsis 23:53

2y ago23:53

23:53

214,000 newborn babies die of sepsis caused by infections that are resistant to antibiotics every year. This is a major problem worldwide, but disproportionally affects low- and middle- income countries. Reenu Thomas and Adrie Bekker, two neonatologists from South Africa, and Francesca Schiavone, clinical project manager at the MRC CTU at UCL in Lo…

1
Neonatal infections (part 1): The NeoOBS study and the global challenge of neonatal sepsis 23:52

2y ago23:52

23:52

214,000 newborn babies die of sepsis caused by infections that are resistant to antibiotics every year. This is a major problem worldwide, but disproportionally affects low- and middle- income countries.Reenu Thomas and Adrie Bekker, two neonatologists from South Africa, and Francesca Schiavone, clinical project manager at the MRC CTU at UCL in Lon…

1
Episode 3: The STREAM2 trial - how should we treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis? 20:00

2y ago20:00

20:00

For World TB Day, this episode explores the global burden of tuberculosis (TB) and how growing antibiotic resistance can complicate treatment options. Andrew Nunn, a Professor of Epidemiology, discusses his work on the STREAM2 trial, which investigated how treatment for multi-drug resistant TB could be shortened and made more acceptable for patient…

1
The STREAM2 trial: How should we treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis? 19:59

2y ago19:59

19:59

For World TB Day, this episode explores the global burden of tuberculosis (TB) and how growing antibiotic resistance can complicate treatment options. Andrew Nunn, a Professor of Epidemiology, discusses his work on the STREAM2 trial, which investigated how treatment for multi-drug resistant TB could be shortened and made more acceptable for patient…

1
Episode 2: Part 2 - Sharing the Results of Clinical Trials with Participants 19:51

2+ y ago19:51

19:51

We have an ethical obligation to offer results to trial participants. Annabelle South explores the challenges of sharing results and talks about the best ways of communicating results from an ovarian cancer trial. As a final note, Annabelle reflects on what should be the next steps to ensure that all trial participants find out about the results. T…

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Episode 2: Part 1 - Sharing Results of Clinical Trials with Participants 16:02

2+ y ago16:02

16:02

Clinical trials depend on people volunteering to take part, often at increased risk or inconvenience. Research shows that most trial participants want to know what the trial finds, but many never get to find this out. Annabelle South talks about why sharing results is important and how the Show RESPECT study tested different ways of sharing results…

1
Episode 1: The ARCHERY study – Can AI transform the way we plan radiotherapy treatment globally? 17:26

2+ y ago17:26

17:26

More than 50% of people living with cancer that need radiotherapy in low- and middle-income countries can't have it. Ajay Aggarwal presents the ARCHERY study, an exciting trial looking at the benefits of using artificial intelligence (AI) for radiotherapy treatment planning, which could improve access to high-quality cancer treatment globally. For …

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Ovarian cancer screening: The results of the UKCTOCS trial 17:10

4y ago17:10

17:10

Around 4000 women die of ovarian cancer in the UK each year. It is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, making treatment difficult. The UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening, known as the UKCTOCS trial, followed up more than 200,000 women over an average of 16 years, in an effort to improve diagnosis of ovarian cancer. This podcast ep…

1
Andrew Nunn talks medical statistics, TB, and Algerian nomads (Part 2) 35:05

6+ y ago35:05

35:05

Andrew Nunn joined the MRC’s Tuberculosis & Chest Diseases Unit as a statistician in 1966. During the next 20 years he was directly involved in the design, conduct and analysis of the programme of trials conducted under the leadership of Professors Wallace Fox and Denny Mitchison in East Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore which led to the worldwide ad…

1
Andrew Nunn talks medical statistics, TB, and Algerian nomads (Part 1) 31:40

6+ y ago31:40

31:40

Andrew Nunn joined the MRC’s Tuberculosis & Chest Diseases Unit as a statistician in 1966. During the next 20 years he was directly involved in the design, conduct and analysis of the programme of trials conducted under the leadership of Professors Wallace Fox and Denny Mitchison in East Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore which led to the worldwide ad…

1
Jayne Tierney talks systematic reviews, impact, and fish parasites 30:46

7y ago30:46

30:46

Jayne Tierney has been a Research Scientist at the Unit since it was formed in 1999, and prior to that, in the Cancer Trials Office in Cambridge. For more than 20 years, she has been responsible for designing and conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses to rigorously re-evaluate the effectiveness of therapies; projects that have influenced p…

1
ARREST: Rifampicin for Staph. aureus bacteraemia (full length) 20:20

7+ y ago20:20

20:20

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteraemia is a common infection worldwide, with mortality rates of around 20%, but little research has been done on how best to treat it. This episode explores the results of the ARREST trial, which looked at adding rifampicin to standard antistaphylococcal antibiotic treatment.…

1
ARREST: Rifampicin for Staph. aureus bacteraemia (short version) 10:10

7+ y ago10:10

10:10

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteraemia is a common infection worldwide, with mortality rates of around 20%, but little research has been done on how best to treat it. This episode explores the results of the ARREST trial, which looked at adding rifampicin to standard antistaphylococcal antibiotic treatment. This is the short version of the r…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

MRC Clinical Trials Unit At UCL Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen