National Institute for Health and Care Research

Professor Tariq Iqbal talks to Dr Tariq Ahmad about CLARITY IBD, the most important gastroenterology study undertaken during the recent COVID pandemic.In this episode they discuss how this pragmatic trial adopted an agile approach to rapidly answer a key question: Do common immunosuppressants used to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) reduce the effectiveness of COVID19 vaccines? They also explain how this study, which involves almost 7,000 participants from 92 UK hospitals, was set up and recruited to at an unprecedented speed.The CLARITY trial is looking at the impact of two biologic medicines (infliximab and vedolizumab) on COVID-19 infection, vaccination and immune response in people with IBD conditions such as Crohn’s or Colitis. Learn more about the CLARITY IBD study.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GvrOU2Y0DnWbbjn--6_UIpCupqrhJKhk/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114082658712200237854&rtpof=true&sd=true

Discover the links between obesity and diabetes, and how research is helping to inform treatments and lifestyle choices for people living with diabetes.Also, find out what the future of diabetes research looks like and how to get involved.Joining Dr Neil Hill and Reuben Lewis in this episode is Dr Saira Hameed - a Consultant in Diabetes and Endocrinology at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, and Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London.Anyone interested in taking part in research can search for studies on the Be Part of Research website (https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/). And people living in North West London can also join the Discover register (https://www.registerfordiscover.org.uk/about-discover/overview) to be kept informed of local opportunities to get involved.Conversations about Diabetes Research - episode 2 transcript.

In the first episode, Dr Neil Hill and Reuben Lewis go back to basics - answering the question, 'what is medical research?'Find out how trials are designed - how funding works, how volunteers are protected and what it's like to take part.Reuben shares his own personal experience of volunteering. And Dr Hill talks about the research he has worked on, including monitoring the glucose levels of people walking in the Himalayas.Also discover where diabetes research is currently at, what the future holds and how to get involved.Anyone interested in taking part in research can search for studies on the Be Part of Research website (https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/). And people living in North West London can also join the Discover register (https://www.registerfordiscover.org.uk/about-discover/overview) to be kept informed of local opportunities to get involved.Conversations in Diabetes: Episode 1 transcript.

Collaboration and clinical research are critical in combating the global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threat.  The challenges are many but with growing recognition of this world-wide issue comes hope.In this podcast you will hear how the global research community is coming together to tackle the problem on multiple fronts by taking a much broader view on AMR.  Antibiotic stewardship, vaccines, better public health and new diagnostics all have a role to play.You will also hear how the NIHR plans to play its part by establishing innovative platform trials, which will help to accelerate research into drug resistance and development of new antimicrobial agents. This approach, tried and tested in the COVID-19 pandemic, will create new opportunities for academic researchers and the life science industry to work smarter, faster and more collaboratively.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/135jA6ncSn8UlsMa3H5vIHq_cYdLSqo9NJH6gTjRBPsk/edit

This episode of the NIHR podcast asks how we can reduce the toll of loneliness in older adults. The pandemic threw a spotlight on loneliness and social distancing caused heartache for so many. But it made little difference to the day to day lives of some older people. They were already isolated and lonely.The podcast is hosted by Helen Saul, Editor in Chief of the NIHR Evidence website who will be in conversation discussing why loneliness is such a serious problem, how it relates to other conditions, and what can be done to reduce the burden. You’ll hear from Andrew Steptoe, Professor of Psychology and Head of Behavioural Science and Health at University College London, Sarah Page, an occupational therapist who leads the BSc course at the University of Bedfordshire and Kalpa Kharicha, Head of Research, Policy and Practice at the Campaign to End Loneliness. The collection of research evidence that supports this podcast is available here: https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/collection/how-can-we-reduce-the-toll-of-loneliness-in-older-adults/ For more information about NIHR Evidence, follow us on Twitter @NIHRevidence.The transcript for this podcast can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Olq14bbDZ_G4eczgB1o5SSETiN8yL4KuhXWtcbLB6Sc/edit?usp=sharing

This episode of the NIHR podcast focuses on community engagement and involvement (CEI) in global health research and the 'Leave No One Behind' agenda.The podcast is hosted by Erica Nelson, a Post-Doctoral Research Officer at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Erica is in conversation with invited experts on how they undertake CEI and what it means to Leave No One Behind in practice.In this podcast you’ll hear from Rebecca Racheal Apolot, Research Fellow, Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda; Sabrina Rasheed, Associate Scientist, iccdr’b, Bangladesh; Sana Contractor, public health researcher, practitioner and activist, Centre for Health and Social Justice, India; and Walter Flores, Executive Director, Centre for the Study of Equity and Governance in Health Systems, Guatemala.NIHR has partnered with the IDS to produce a series of learning resources to support researchers to deliver meaningful, outcomes-based CEI. The full package of resources, including a learning guide on the 'Leave No One Behind' agenda that supports this podcast, is available at: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/researchers/apply-for-funding/how-to-apply-for-global-health-funding/community-engagement-and-involvement.htm.For more information about NIHR global health research, follow us on Twitter at @NIHRglobal.Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DDsxZj0a-QIjT3dUfUUnBAI1MOIjTJkL3dwloJInMic/edit?usp=sharing

View the accessible transcript of this podcastProfessor Yan Yiannakou talks to Professor Allan Gaw about Relieve IBS-D which was one of the one of the UK’s first fully virtual, intervention trials.Professor Yiannakou recounts why the trial transitioned from a site-based trial to a virtual version, pointing to geographical exclusion as the biggest barrier to recruitment, even with 28 sites open across the UK. The virtual trial generated overwhelming interest leading to rapid recruitment. However, Yan is quick to zoom in on the logistics delivering the trial, explaining why biggest challenge of the virtual approach was having the clinical and administrative capacity to screen and enrol eligible patients.This podcast is part of our 'Perspectives from the Pandemic' series looking at the delivery of Complex and Innovative Design (CID) trials in the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the full series of #ComplexInnovativeDesign trial podcasts on our website: www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/delivering-complex-and-innovative-trials-podcast-collection/29517To find out more about how the NIHR supports complex and innovative design trials visit: www.nihr.ac.uk/innovative-trials

View the accessible transcript of this podcastMHRA's Kirsty Wydenbach talks to Professor Allan Gaw about the different types of complex, innovative design trials (CID) which became more commonplace during the pandemic.She provides some practical advice for researchers and sponsors designing such trials and explains how they need to work with the MHRA to make their study happen. She highlights some potential pitfalls to be aware of, and emphasises the importance of planning, communication, transparency and clear objectives.This podcast is part of our 'Perspectives from the Pandemic' series looking at the delivery of Complex and Innovative Design (CID) trials in the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the full series of #ComplexInnovativeDesign trial podcasts on our website: www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/delivering-complex-and-innovative-trials-podcast-collection/29517To find out more about how the NIHR supports complex and innovative design trials visit: www.nihr.ac.uk/innovative-trials

 View the accessible transcript of this podcastProfessor Pamela Kearns talks to Professor Allan Gaw about CATAYLST, a phase 2 platform trial which was designed to rapidly identify potential COVID19 treatments during the pandemic.Professor Kearns explains how the adaptive design of the trial and the Bayesian statistical approach were crucial to quickly acquire go/no go decisions on which drugs should be trialled in larger COVID19 trials like RECOVERY.  She also recognises how the collaborative research culture in the UK, combined with the coordinated efforts of the UK research ecosystem, made the UK "a fantastic place to be able to find the best treatments for COVID-19."This podcast is part of our 'Perspectives from the Pandemic' series looking at the delivery of Complex and Innovative Design (CID) trials in the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the full series of #ComplexInnovativeDesign trial podcasts on our website: www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/delivering-complex-and-innovative-trials-podcast-collection/29517To find out more about how the NIHR supports complex and innovative design trials visit: www.nihr.ac.uk/innovative-trials

View the accessible transcript of this podcastDr Camille Carroll talks to Professor Allan Gaw about harnessing the power of the technology in clinical trials.She describes some of the advangages of using innovative digital technologies by highlighting some of the disadvantages and challenges faced in using traditional trial assessment methods. Zooming in on wearable sensor technologies, Dr Carroll also explains the concept of ecological validity and how these innovations can help researchers to overcome obstacles such as bias, recall error and human error to acheive accurate and objective results.This podcast is part of our 'Perspectives from the Pandemic' series looking at the delivery of Complex and Innovative Design (CID) trials in the COVID-19 pandemic. You can access the full series of #ComplexInnovativeDesign trial podcasts on our website: www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/delivering-complex-and-innovative-trials-podcast-collection/29517To find out more about how the NIHR supports complex and innovative design trials visit: www.nihr.ac.uk/innovative-trials