About us | Core facilities to support research

Core facilities to support research

Clinical Research Centre and Experimental Medicine Unit

The Clinical Research Centre (CRC) is an ISO9000 accredited clinical trials centre, providing both the facility and the staff to undertake commercial or non-commercial phase III and IV clinical trials.

The Centre consists of a patient waiting room and 4 outpatient consulting rooms, suitable for trials in a range of clinical specialties. Staff are experienced in handling studies in diabetes, obesity, COPD, asthma, hepatitis, renal failure and wound care. However, we are keen to expand into other areas and will discuss individual study needs as part of the start up process.

The CRC Lead Nurse, Research Physician, and Clinical Research Nurses are fully trained to ICH-GCP standards and the team works to detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

The New Experimental Medicine Unit opened in June 2006 at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. The new facility combines both an inpatient (2 bed) and outpatient facility (2 consulting rooms). The inpatient rooms have been specifically designed to be able to accommodate Gene-Therapy trials, but are suitable for all inpatient trials

If you are a commercial company looking for local sites for your trials and are interested in finding out more about the CRC please contact Paul Astin, Clinical Research Business Manager, on tel 020 7882 7263 or email paul.astin@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

For more information about the CRC click here.

Genome Centre

The Genome Centre at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry represents a £3.1m state of the art high throughput sequencing, genotyping, and bioinformatics investment underpinning research programmes in the genetics of common complex diseases.

This high throughput centre for genetic medicine is embedded within the William Harvey Research Institute located at Charterhouse Square. It is directed by a leading complex trait researcher, supported by a Centre Manager (a postdoctoral geneticist), postdoctoral bioinformatician, technicians and administrator.

The team offers genetics and bioinformatics expertise and infrastructure to a broad base of researchers within academia, NHS hospitals and industry. Our facilities are available either as a comprehensive service or on a hotel basis, where training and technical support is provided for researchers who use the resources themselves.

Experienced staff can offer help and advice for all stages of research projects from experimental design, training, technical support and analysis and interpretation of results.

To find out more about the specific services and equipment available at The Genome Centre, visit our website www.mds.qmul.ac.uk/gc/, or alternatively contact the Centre Manager, Dr Charles Mein, on tel 020 7882 5776.

Stem Cell Laboratory

Stem cells have been used for the treatment of cancer here for over 20 years. The laboratory processes Bone Marrow and Peripheral Blood Stem Cells for use as a source of replacement stem cells in patients undergoing chemotherapy during their treatment for haematological disorders, and other malignant diseases. Three types of transplant are carried out - autologous transplants, donor transplants from the patient’s sibling or from a Matched Unrelated Donor (MUD). Up to 150 harvests are processed per year. If not transplanted fresh the cells are cryopreserved and stored at very low temperatures. The lab has the facility to store over a thousand samples in special tanks until the patient is ready to receive them.

In 2003, the Trust, with the assistance of the Charitable Foundation, invested in a new state of the art stem cell processing facility. This facility has been designed to comply with new regulations concerning the use of human material for medical purposes and is one of only two in London to have been accredited by the Department of Health.

The new facility will provide the ideal location for research and the potential to development new sterile immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. A mounting interest in stem cell involvement in other conditions is also taking place. Collaboration with other departments in the hospital has already begun in order to study stem cells in a variety of conditions. In particular, collaboration between the Haematology and Cardiology department researching the potential use of stem cells for the treatment of heart disease will create new exciting opportunities for the lab and the trust.

The lab also has the potential to support research in:

Dendritic Cell Generation for Tumor Specific Immunity
Reducing graft versus host disease by depleting host-alloreactive cells form the graft
Tolerance Induction for Major HLA Mismatch Transplants
Investigation of CD133+ Cells in the re-generation of non-haematological organs; specifically Heart and Kidney
Mixed Chimerism Generation in non-haematological transplant patients

Further information on the Stem Cell Laboratory can be obtained from Dr Samir Agrawal, tel 020 7601 8008 or email s.g.agrawal@qmul.ac.uk.

Tissue Banking

The Trust and College have identified 46 current banks of blood, sputum, tissue (cancerous and non-cancerous), synovial fluid and faeces across the two organisations. The current objective is to establish a centrally managed facility that will comply with the requirements of the Human Tissue Act and any subsequent Regulations or Codes of Practice. Further information about the Tissue Bank facility and its services to researchers will be made available later this year.

Pharmacy support for clinical trials

The pharmacy department offers a comprehensive range of services to support researchers and funders involved in clinical trials. Assistance is available from the point of inception of the study through to the final archiving of data and can include any of the following:

Pre-initiation phase

Aid with protocol design
Selection of appropriate formulations of the study drug, comparator therapies and placebos as necessary
Sourcing or manufacture of medication/s required
Assistance with blinding procedures
Advice on appropriate dosing intervals and schedules
Outline of expected side effect profiles
Input to design of appropriate inclusion/ exclusion criteria
Production of patient information
Advice on applicable legal and ethical requirements

Trial phase

Secure storage of trial medication in accordance with protocol and in monitored environment
Dispensing of trial medication
Maintenance of accurate accountability records and cross-checking with CRFs
Liaison with company personnel and verification of data
Counselling of trial subjects
Reconciliation of returned medication
Participation in sponsor, MHRA or FDA inspections
Code breaking in emergency situations
Training of study team in pharmaceutical aspects of trial

Post trial

Destruction of returned and unused medication
Assistance in resolving data queries
Archiving of trial information in accordance with legal requirements

For further information please see the list of Pharmacy contacts.

Laboratory services

All the laboratories utilised by the Trust are fully CPA accredited. Certificates are available from the Joint Research Office if companies or other funders need copies for trials.

Laboratory Support for Cancer Studies

The Cancer Pharmacology group within the Centre for Medical Oncology have a strong background in clinical pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, with both established and novel cytotoxic agents and analgesics. The team includes research nurses for sample collection and laboratory scientists for immediate sample processing in the laboratory. This includes the separation of blood components for intracellular drug analysis or surrogate endpoint studies and the processing and storage of tumour cells for protein, RNA or DNA analysis. Drug and metabolite analyses are supported by expertise in liquid-liquid and solid-phase extraction procedures, including automated extraction, and extensive high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrumentation with UV, fluorescence, diode-array and electrochemical detection. All HPLC data analysis is carried out using industry standard software. GC/MS and LC/MS/MS facilities are also available for high sensitivity applications. These studies are conducted to GCLP standards, including the production of assay validation and final data reports and staff are accredited in the use of pharmacokinetic data analysis packages such as Kinetica and WinNonLin. A clinical trials unit in which these studies can be conducted has recently opened and a larger unit is under development.

For further information, please contact Simon Joel, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Medical Oncology, on tel 020 7601 8924 or email s.p.joel@qmul.ac.uk.

Haematology

The Haematology Department of the Barts and The London NHS Trust is a joint academic and service unit serving the local community in East London and patients from further afield.

The service work, which underpins the research and development, is nationally and internationally recognised, particularly for its work in the fields of immuno-haematology and the investigation of haematological malignancies. As such it provides a wide range of analytical processes and a specialist service. The department is committed to continuing research and development in both service and research areas.

The department is unique in that it accommodates all haematology specialist laboratories supported by clinical and scientific expertise under single management. General haematology and blood transfusion laboratories at The Royal London and St Bartholomew’s Hospitals provide routine laboratory analysis on continuous processing basis. The range of specialist laboratories is listed below:

Haemostasis and Thrombosis Laboratory supports the Haemophilia Unit with analysis of acquired and inherited disorders of bleeding and thrombophilia service.

Red Cell Laboratory provides expert analysis of haemoglobin disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemias. Investigations of nutritional anaemia and red cell enzymes are also provided.

Immunophenotyping Laboratory identifies haematology malignancies of leukaemias, lymphomas and myeloproliferative diseases.

Molecular Laboratory provides investigations for haematological malignancies and thrombosis markers using, molecular techniques and also participates in national research trials.

Stem Cell Laboratory provides analysis and manipulation of haemopoeitic progenitor cell harvests for us in the treatment of malignant and other genetic disorders. More about the Stem Cell Laboratory>>

For further information please contact Ramesh Modasia, Haematology Laboratory Manager, on tel 020 7480 4163 or email ramesh.modasia@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

Clinical Biochemistry

The Clinical Biochemistry Department provides an extensive routine and specialist service. In 2004-2005 it provided over 5 million test results. The routine service provides diagnostic support across all the Trust’s clinical directorates as well as specialist services covering endocrinology/paediatrics through radio-isotope assays, high pressure liquid chromatography and specific protein analysis. Because of it’s scope and level of expertise, the department also acts a referral centre for assays required by other Trusts across the country and as a result generates significant income.

Expansion and increased specialist services will be available to support service and research work once the department moves into the new purpose built laboratories in autumn 2005. These include providing tandem mass spectroscopy for steroid analysis, and atomic absorption to provide an in house trace metal service.

As the service becomes more patient focused, Biochemistry is taking the lead in ensuring point of care testing is carried out safely and effectively in clinics and wards.

For further information please contact Dave Barnett, Clinical Biochemistry Laboratory Manager, on tel 020 7377 7450 or david.barnett@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk.

Medical Microbiology and Virology

The Division of Infection provides a wide range of diagnostic services to primary care trusts and hospitals within north east London.

Increasingly, molecular techniques are being developed for pathogen identification and this shift in technical approaches has been embraced within the Division to create a joint molecular diagnostics section for both Virology and Microbiology. This venture will facilitate the development of new diagnostic assays across both disciplines and provide the environment to conduct translational research. At present the technologies being utilised are mainly nucleic acid amplification, with real-time quantitative PCR assays as standard.

Within Virology, a strategic approach is to develop assays that can simultaneously test for a number of pathogens. A respiratory virus PCR has been successfully implemented into diagnostic service which can identify 7 viruses commonly associated with respiratory infections including influenza. Recognition of the expertise available has led to the establishment of a Varicella-Zoster Virus Reference Laboratory which will provide highly specialised services for users throughout the UK. This is a joint initiative with the Health Protection Agency (HPA) at Colindale, North London.

In Medical Microbiology, The Department has particular expertise in research into MRSA and other hospital acquired infections, backed by substantial funding from the Department of Health. Research is currently focusing on evaluating rapid detection techniques for MRSA, including the first research into bioluminescent technology. In addition, collaborations with statisticians at Queen Mary College have developed mathematical modelling techniques to predict the impact of infection control interventions.

Research capabilities will be further enhanced by the relocation of the Health Protection Agency Mycobacterium Reference Laboratory in summer 2005.

For further information please contact Professor Judy Breuer (Virology), email j.breuer@qmul.ac.uk or tel 020 7882 2308 or Dr Mike Millar (Microbiology), email michael.millar@bartsandthelondon.nhs.uk or tel 020 7377 7080.

Imaging expertise

The partnership between the Trust, School of Medicine and Dentistry and Cancer Research UK offers a combined state of the art technology, specialist imaging expertise and a track record in research and innovation. Currently researchers benefit from access to X-ray, DEXA scanning, DEC-MRI, Gamma Camera and SPECT facilities for research. This will be complemented by PET and FDG-PET scanning from autumn 2005.

In research terms the Department has two complementary areas of expertise.

Nuclear Medicine research is primarily focused on the development of molecular targets for radionuclide-mediated diagnosis and therapy of cancer.

Research in the department of Radiology focuses on the use of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography in the diagnosis and staging of cancer, monitoring response to treatment and the detection of recurrent disease, particularly in gynaecological and endocrine cancer. Introduction and evaluation of new contrast agents for diagnostic resonance imaging forms a major part of the programme.

To find out more about the specific services and expertise available in the Centre for Cancer Imaging, visit our website by clicking the link below or, alternatively, contact the Centre Lead, Prof Steve Mather, on tel 020 7601 7153.

http://www.cancer.qmul.ac.uk/research/cancer_imaging/index.html