As the NIHR Lancashire Clinical Research Facility / Centre for Health Research and Innovation marks its 10 year anniversary, we are proud to reflect on a decade of growth, innovation, and impact in early phase clinical research.
Since opening, we have significantly expanded our early phase portfolio, progressing from no early phase activity to establishing a strong, diverse programme of studies across multiple specialties. This includes advancing into cutting edge areas such as advanced therapies, Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) studies, gene therapy trials and cancer vaccines. Our team has grown in both size and expertise. We have invested heavily in comprehensive clinical training to continually enhance the skills required to deliver a high quality, safe, and responsive research service.
Throughout the decade, we have collaborated with a wide range of industry partners, achieving notable milestones including:
- First global and first UK participant enrolments.
- Top recruiting centre status across several national studies.
- A major highlight has been the development of England’s first strategic contract with BioNTech, which has strengthened our commercial portfolio and is establishing standardised processes to support innovative trial delivery across Lancashire and South Cumbria.
- We have worked closely with other NIHR infrastructure, including the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (MBRC) and the NIHR BioResource, to support investigator led studies and broaden research opportunities.
A standout accomplishment has been the successful delivery of the PERSICA first in human trial (the LCRF/LSC’s first early phase trial) which has since been published The Lancet’s eClinical Medicine publication with positive patient outcomes. This achievement highlights our capability to deliver complex, high impact early phase trials to the highest standards.
Together, these achievements reflect a decade of commitment to advancing research, improving patient outcomes, and positioning the NIHR Lancashire Clinical Research Facility (LCRF) as a leading centre for early phase and innovative clinical trials.
