In collaboration with the Trial Design research area, we will implement decentralised trial models, enabling more patients to participate without extensive travel. Additionally, we will introduce a carer support programme to assist patients participating in trials away from home, ensuring a patient-friendly trial experience. This work will also involve policy-level engagement with the NHS and the NIHR Research Delivery Network, updating national research agreements to accommodate low-intensity intervention studies, further broadening trial accessibility.
By September 2027, we aim to have at least four geographically distributed sites working collaboratively on training and recruitment, setting an exemplar model for rare disease trials. The first decentralised clinical trial is targeted for recruitment by March 2029, ensuring a sustainable, patient-focused trial infrastructure that delivers new therapies more efficiently across the LifeArc Translational Challenge for Rare Disease.
We are always looking for talented researchers, clinicians, and industry partners to join our efforts in accelerating rare disease trials. Whether you’re interested in research collaboration, clinical trial design, or patient engagement, we’d love to hear from you.
LifeArc is a self-funded medical research charity. We take science ideas out of the lab and help turn them into medical breakthroughs that can be life-changing for patients. We have been doing this for more than 25 years and our work has resulted in five licensed medicines, including cancer drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda®), lecanemab for Alzheimer’s (Leqembi), and a diagnostic for antibiotic resistance.
Our teams are experts in drug and diagnostics discovery, technology transfer, and intellectual property. Our work is in translational science – bridging the gap between academic research and clinical development, providing funding, research and expert knowledge, all with a clear and unwavering commitment to having a positive impact on patient lives.
Find out more about our work on www.lifearc.org or follow us on LinkedIn or X.
The opinions and interpretations presented on this website are those of the authors and not LifeArc’s.
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE1 7RU
United Kingdom
The Centre is funded by LifeArc. LifeArc is a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales under no. 2698321) and a charity (registered in England and Wales under no. 1015243 and in Scotland under no. SC037861).
