St George’s Hospital has officially joined the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) UK Dementia Trials Network (UKDTN) as a Member Site.
Joining the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) UK Dementia Trials Network (UKDTN) as a Member Site is a significant milestone in the Trust’s commitment to advancing dementia research and improving access to innovative treatments for patients across South West London and Surrey.
The milestone follows the successful execution of the UKDTN subcontract and the award of more than £650,000 to establish an early-phase dementia clinical trials programme at St George’s. The funding will create new research infrastructure, strengthen specialist research capacity and enable the delivery of cutting-edge early-phase dementia clinical trials closer to home for local communities.
The UKDTN is a nationally coordinated network, funded by a major NIHR investment, that is transforming how early-phase dementia clinical trials are delivered across the UK. By bringing together specialist research centres, developing a skilled workforce and streamlining trial delivery, the network aims to accelerate the development of new dementia treatments while improving opportunities for people living with dementia to participate in research.
Joining the NIHR UKDTN represents an exciting opportunity for St George’s Clinical Research Facility (CRF), Neurosciences and Research & Development teams to work collaboratively with partners across the UK to bring pioneering dementia studies to patients locally. As the programme develops, it will strengthen the Trust’s research infrastructure, attract new commercial and academic studies, and contribute to improving care for people affected by dementia.
The achievement has been made possible through the dedication of colleagues across the Trust, with particular thanks to our teams from Neurosciences, the Clinical Research Facility and Research and Development Directorate, whose collaboration has helped secure this important milestone.
As the programme is established, colleagues across the Trust will play an important role in supporting the delivery of early-phase dementia trials, helping ensure patients have greater access to tomorrow’s treatments today while contributing to research that could improve the lives of future generations.
Find out more about the NIHR UK Dementia Trials Network on the UKDTN website.