Medical statistics is a vital element of healthcare research, playing an important role in the process of bringing findings from early discovery science though to patient-based research. Delivering clinical trials requires substantial funding, and determining the right way to do the study, the data needed to conduct it and how many people to involve are key to a successful project.
The Medical Statistics Hub supports researchers across the Oxford BRC to undertake this critical preparatory work, and to develop the proposals needed to secure funding for their translational research projects.
Why Medical statistics is critical in translational research
Clinical trials evaluate the use of new interventions, such as a novel drug, in humans. It is critical that promising new discoveries from laboratory and exploratory science are evaluated appropriately. For new potential treatments, this is done through a series of clinical trials, and for a new drug this a legal requirement. Similarly, it is increasingly necessary for new medical devices to undergo a clinical trial before they can be approved for use in patients.
However, the design of these studies, which are expensive and time-consuming to conduct, needs careful consideration. In the translational research area, the standard approach to study design may not be suitable, and adopting a more complex or enhanced study design might be more appropriate, but this requires extra work at the outset.
Additional preparatory work may also be needed to provide evidence to support the design of these studies and how they are conducted. The Medical Statistics Hub provides support, working with researchers across the BRC themes, to address this need. We would welcome enquiries from within the BRC about how we can support specific work. Priority will be given to projects with the greatest potential to benefit patients, and those that align with BRC themes and priorities.
Support the Medical Statistics Hub provides
It takes time and care to develop a good research project. There is never one way to conduct a study, but a range of options with different pros and cons. The Statistics Hub helps BRC researchers think through the options and consider how a study can be performed to deliver a useful data analysis.
It may that the Hub can assist with preliminary analysis work that is needed to inform the planning for the new study. Alternatively, if a more complex approach is adopted and more upfront work is required to tailor the design to the research topic, the hub provides capacity to explore these alternative approaches, which – although they may be more time-consuming, harder to implement and more challenging to secure funding for – may ultimately prove more rewarding.