Since its inception in 2009, NCRI’s flagship initiative, the Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group (CTRad), has achieved considerable momentum and has been pivotal in changing the radiotherapy research landscape.
CTRad is currently funded by six of NCRI’s Partners: Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council, Department of Health, Chief Scientist Office, Scotland, Health and Care Research, Wales and HSC R&D, Northern Ireland.
At the NCRI Partners’ Summer Meeting, CTRad presented its key achievements and progress made in the last three years and provided an outline of CTRad’s strategic vision and objectives for the next three years.
Key CTRad highlights over the last three years include:
- Facilitating collaborative, innovative clinical trial design from concept through development to funding and recruitment
Examples include the funded PLATO, PATHOS and PIVOTALboost studies. The CONCoRDE and SPITFIRE non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) trials are currently being developed as part of the collaborative UK NSCLC Radiotherapy-Drug Combinations Consortium.
Excellence in patient and public involvement (PPI).
- Enthusiastic engagement and high quality contributions from CTRad’s Consumers’ inputs at all stages of clinical trial development has ensured that patients are at the centre of our research.
Facilitating and influencing successful collaborative funding initiatives.
These include the CRUK ART-NET Accelerator Award, STFC Global Challenge Network+, EPSRC Grand Challenge Network and the Radiotherapy-Drug Combinations Consortium (RaDCom).
CTRad has inspired and influenced the creation and design of new initiatives including NCRI’s Cellular and Molecular Pathology (CM-Path).
- Achieving international impact.
CTRad’s publication in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology detailing consensus guidelines for clinical development of RT-drug combinations has leveraged unprecedented international engagement in this crucial area (FDA, EMA, MHRA, NCI, AACR, ASTRO).
In light of progress made in the past three years, CTRad’s Executive Group put together a mission statement to guide the group’s direction of travel, and devised a five-point strategic vision that builds on success to date and addresses ongoing challenges.
CTRad’s mission statement – To maximise quantity and quality of life for patients receiving radiotherapy by optimising tumour control and minimising toxicity
The new strategic vision is a natural evolution of its original aims to fit with the needs of the community, which now places an increasing emphasis on high impact, project-based, collaborative research initiatives.
You can read more about CTRad’s new strategic vision here.
CTRad is looking forward to continuing the momentum achieved and progress in changing the radiotherapy research landscape with help from the community and stakeholders, as well as linking up with researchers in related fields of research.
To find out how CTRad is supporting radiotherapy researchers and reports of their latest activities, visit their website.
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