The Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU) is a medical research institute within the

Nuffield Department of Population Health The Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH) of Oxford University is located at the Old Road Campus in Headington, Oxford, England. It is one of the largest departments within Oxford University's Medical Sciences Division, University of Ox ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. It primarily conducts large scale

clinical trials Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

(phase III – Final Testing) and

epidemiological Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...

studies of chronic diseases, especially

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

and vascular conditions. It is located in the Richard Doll Building (RDB) on the Old Road Campus, in

Headington Headington is an eastern suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames valley below, and bordering Marston, Oxford, Marston to the north-west, Cowley, Oxfordshire, Cowley to the south, and Bar ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

, England.

History

The unit developed from a research team originally formed by

Richard Doll Sir William Richard Shaboe Doll (28 October 1912 – 24 July 2005) was a British physician who became an epidemiologist in the mid-20th century and made important contributions to that discipline. He was a pioneer in research linking smoking ...

. It was founded in 1975 and is led by the joint co-directors

Richard Peto Sir Richard Peto (born 14 May 1943) is an English statistician and epidemiologist who is Professor of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford, England. Education He attended Taunton's School in Southampton and subsequ ...

and Rory Collins. In 2013, there were approximately 250 staff working directly within the unit at the Richard Doll Building and many hundreds more at satellite centres around the world.

Major projects

Major clinical trials run by the CTSU include Isis, the Heart Protection Study, Search and Sharp. The unit has also played key roles in the Kadoorie Study of Chronic Disease and the UK Biobank project.

References

External links

CTSU website
{{authority control 1975 establishments in the United Kingdom Research institutes established in 1975 Clinical trial organizations Departments of the University of Oxford Research institutes in Oxford Medical research institutes in the United Kingdom Research and development in the United Kingdom