UK drive for research, trial subjects hits key milestone

More than half a million people in the UK have signed up to participate in studies in response to a campaign launched two years ago to revitalise the country's role as a hub for research.

The Be Part of Research initiative was set up by the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) in recognition of the challenges researchers in the UK are facing in conducting clinical, public health, and social care studies.

The O'Shaughnessy review of commercial clinical trials in the UK highlighted the programme as a key initiative to support delivery and enhance recruitment to studies. According to figures from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), there was a 41% decline in new commercial trial starts between 2017 and 2021.

The 500,000 sign-ups have come a little later than initially hoped – it was originally intended to cross that threshold by April – but nevertheless reveal "unprecedented public interest" in taking part in the studies, according to NIHR. Participation was around 370,000 last November, and the next target of reaching a million sign-ups is due by April 2025.

The scheme allows people to sign up and choose the areas of health and care research they are interested in, including participation as a healthy volunteer, using the NHS App and other routes. They are then matched to suitable studies and sent information on how to take part, enabling study sponsors and teams to recruit eligible subjects more quickly and effectively.

Since it started, Be Part of Research has been used in around 54 studies – 40 of which are still ongoing – and has delivered 50,000 participants to a range of studies including interventional trials, observational studies, and lifestyle questionnaires.

One example is the MyMelanoma programme, led by Oxford University, said to be the largest melanoma study ever carried out – which aims to recruit 20,000 patients to create the world's largest melanoma data resource. Those enrolled are asked to provide information about themselves and their experience with melanoma and may be able to take part in additional studies.

"Half a million volunteers signed up to Be Part of Research is a fantastic achievement," said NIHR chief executive Prof Lucy Chappell, who is also chief scientific advisor to the UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

"Research is key to developing new treatments, finding better ways to manage health conditions and providing better care – keeping people fit and healthy for as long as possible," she added. "But none of this is possible without the contributions of the people who take part."

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay