The CRF is a comfortable, safe and secure environment where we recruit and monitor patients/volunteers in accordance with Good Clinical Practice, departmental standard operating procedures and Trust policies.
The Clinical Research Facility (CRF) has two sample preparation laboratories for immediate processing, storage, and sample despatch.
The first, newly constructed laboratory contains:
- Three temperature-controlled centrifuges (ambient and cold samples)
- -80C Freezer x2 REES alarm
- -20C Freezer x1 REES alarm
- •4C-8C Refrigerator x1 REES alarm
- Incubator
- Class 2 Microbiology Safety Cabinet
- Sample preparation/processing space
- Dry Ice Storage
- A second laboratory serves the vaccine trials and contains:
- Three Centrifuges
- -80c Freezer
- Three REES alarm 4C-8C Refrigerator
- One REES alarm
- Sample preparation/processing space
Vaccine pharmacy
A satellite research pharmacy is located within the CRF, established specifically for vaccine trials, managed by the nursing team and overseen and audited by the research pharmacy team. It is in a separate, temperature controlled, swipe access room. This enables trials vaccine storage for immediate use and home visits and contains two temperature controlled, continuously monitored fridges, a quarantine fridge, a freezer, a temperature monitored and locked drug cupboard, a drug preparation facility and a locked cupboard for pharmacy unblinding files.