Videos: Introduction to the Oxford BRC and broad contexts of medical research

The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre is a collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to fund medical research. This short film showcases the range of facilities in Oxford that support groundbreaking research across areas including cancer, orthopaedics, diabetes, genetics and vaccines.

Introduction to the work of the National Institute for Health Research, which brings together research organisations at universities and links them with NHS centres, forming Biomedical Research Units. These units effectively translate research into treatment for patients.

Professor Sallie Lamb, Co-Director of the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit at the University of Oxford, talks about the history of clinical trials, and explains important concepts such as randomisation, masking and minimisation of bias. Professor Lamb describes how trials have progressed the management of nearly all medical conditions, and what challenges remain. She discusses the range of ethical dilemmas raised by clinical trials, and the difficulties of operationalising large experiments involving many hundreds and sometimes thousands of people.