Monday 20^th May is International Clinical Trials Day and to celebrate the Quadram Institute is showcasing its current clinical research projects and giving a preview of others in the pipeline.

International Clinical Trials Day (http://www.clinicaltrialsday.org/) is an annual celebration of the people and organisations who carry out clinical trials to improve health. It also recognises the contribution from the public and the importance of these trials to developing new treatments and therapies.

The Quadram Institute, on the Norwich Research Park, is a new state-of-the-art food and health research and endoscopy centre. It has brought together scientists and clinicians to develop solutions to worldwide challenges in diet and health.

The QI Clinical Research Facility (CRF) is a crucial part of these efforts. It is managed by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) and hosts research studies that involve patients and volunteers. It is the hospital’s primary facility for all clinical trials that do not need to be located within the main hospital building. Because of its close association with the NNUH Endoscopy Centre and links with Quadram Institute scientists and the University of East Anglia, the CRF is perfect for doing research into food and nutrition.

“We’re very excited about the new facilities and the opportunities we have for strong and valuable collaborations with the research groups in the Quadram Institute and across the Norwich research Park” said Dr Melanie Pascale, Manager of the Clinical Research Facility.

“All of the clinical trials depend on the close working between us, scientists, clinicians as well as the public and patients. Clinical Trials Day is a fantastic opportunity to highlight what we can achieve together to understand the causes of disease and to help develop new treatments.”

On Clinical Trials Day, visitors to the Quadram Institute will be able to meet some of the staff working in the CRF as well as the scientists using its facilities to run a variety of different trials.

“It’s great to be celebrating the International Clinical Trials day here at the Quadram Institute. This day is a time for us to be proud of the excellent work being done here together with the NNUH, QI CRF, UEA and all of our partners” said Dr Antonietta Melchini, Human Studies Coordinator for Quadram Institute Bioscience.

Studies on show on Clinical Trials Day include some looking at the effects of different foods and ingredients on health. An example is the EPoM study, which was the first bringing together all of the partners in QI using the QI CRF. Others focus on the microbiome, the population of bacteria we host in our guts. The recently-launched PEARL study is looking to recruit mums-to-be less than 22 weeks pregnant to study the influence of maternal and baby’s microbiome on health. The day will also include researchers working on current and future studies into ME/CFS, prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, cognitive decline, glycaemic response and satiety.

International Clinical Trials Day at the Quadram Institute will run from 9:30 to 16:00 on Monday 20^th May in the new Quadram Institute building on the Norwich Research Park. For directions see https://quadram.ac.uk/about/how-to-find-us/