TUF launched its TUF Trials Unit (TTU) in 2021, following a competitive tendering process, as a means to encourage and enable more clinical research in urology. Trials are an important way of measuring a medical, surgical or behavioural intervention and successful trials are catalysts for change, provide potential for transformational discoveries and drive improvements in services.
The role of the TTU is to identify promising and important research ideas from urology units and provide a team of medical investigators to bring those ideas to fruition. This approach will enable more high-quality urology trials to take place, leading to better care, quicker recovery times and fewer long-term issues.
The TUF Trials Unit is a partnership with CHaRT (see below) and draws upon the knowledge and input of the urology community. The unit receives pump-prime funding from TUF which is expected to provide multi-disciplinary support to develop study protocols and grant applications in urology.
If you would like to know more about the Dragons Den format and working with the TUF Trials Unit we have two video links that will be of interest
Recording of Dragons Session - BAUS 2021
BAUS webinar - How to make your Dragons Den submission stand out
1. STENT - A project to understand if placing a plastic tube (Stent) after telescopic stone surgery is superior to omitting it in terms of patient reported quality of life and reducing unplanned visits to the hospital.
2. ELIPSE - A project to assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) in high-risk prostate cancer surgery.
Following the call for applicants in 2020, the TUF Trials programme received an application from about 1/3 of all relevant CTUs in the UK. There was a rigorous multi-tiered process to the review. Firstly, TUF's SEC and Reviewing Panel reviewed all the applications and gave their scores and comments. Following this a meeting was held to discuss the applications and to narrow the shortlist to the top four. Click here to see our original Call for Applications (PDF).
Once these four applicants were chosen, they were invited to an interview with a specially apppointed interview panel. The panel consisted of:
The interviews were of a very high standard and required a further discussion. A successful candidate was then chosen and TUF is delighted to announce that the winning bid came from the CHaRT team based at the University of Aberdeen and led by Professor Graeme MacLennan and Professor James N'Dow.
CHaRT was established in 2004 and received full registration status from the UKCRC in November 2007. CHaRT is directed by Professor Graeme MacLennan, and comprises of over 35 members of staff.
CHaRT's goal is to collaborate in high quality Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs), providing access to the core competencies of experienced trialists, trial management, data processing and management, statistics, health economics and health psychology. Through scientific and technical partnership, CHaRT will address important health questions in the increasingly challenging scientific, legal and regulatory environment in which RCTs will be conducted.
