In today’s Autumn Statement, the Government announced a new Clinical Trials Delivery Accelerator (CTDA) focused on dementia.
Responding to the news, Prof Siddharthan Chandran, Director of the UK DRI, said:
“The new Dementia Accelerator demonstrates that the Government is seizing a critical opportunity to improve the way we conduct clinical trials, offering more people living with dementia the chance to participate in research and receive emerging drugs sooner. Working with NIHR, the Dementia Mission is addressing many of the fundamental challenges that hinder vital research and prevent clinical trials in dementia from succeeding. This latest initiative recognises the new possibilities that are now available to us, especially by leveraging the UK’s world-leading strengths in data and digital sciences.
At the UK DRI, we’ve had success in modernising clinical trials in motor neuron disease, with a new platform called MND-SMART that broadens participation and improves the chance of receiving an effective treatment. To deliver this, it has been essential to embed clinical trial expertise in specialist centres across the UK. As Director of the project, I don’t want to see any patient travelling past three hospitals to access a trial at the fourth.
The Dementia Mission and NIHR are adopting the same ethos, investing in sites across the nation so that postcode is no longer a barrier to participation. I’m confident this will be transformative.”
Article published: 22 November 2023
Banner image: Shutterstock/Fizkes
