Diabetes Research Network
In recognition of the immediate and growing importance of diabetes to public health in the UK, the Department of Health launched the UK Diabetes Research Network (UKDRN) in July 2005.
The UKDRN intends to provide a world-class health service infrastructure to support clinical research in diabetes and to remove barriers to its conduct. It is not a funding body itself but its infrastructure can be used to support studies.
The UKDRN is a network of primary and secondary care centres throughout the UK supported by the Department of Health for the purpose of conducting high quality clinical research in both the commercial and academic sectors.
The co-ordinating centre for this network is a consortium between Imperial College London, based at the International Centre for Circulatory Health and the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism. This co-ordinating centre will manage eight Local Research Networks (LRNs) designed to provide geographical spread around the country.
Each LRN will be centrally resourced to provide the infrastructure to support high quality randomised controlled clinical trials and other high quality studies in diabetes performed both at primary and secondary care levels. This will allow both for accurate and for the rapid assessment of the feasibility and timely recruitment into studies.
The Diabetes Research Network is working to develop a high quality and balanced portfolio of trials and other well designed studies that cover all aspects of diabetes research. The portfolio database captures information on clinical studies within the portfolio, including accrual information.
Studies that are included in the DRN portfolio can benefit from the support of DRN-funded staff working in Local Research Networks. This support might range from publicising the study to help with R&D approval applications, to the identification and recruitment of patients and will depend on the resources available at individual sites.
The UKDRN is committed to involving people affected by diabetes in its decisions. A number of people with diabetes, their family members and carers are already helping the UKDRN’s activities by sharing their knowledge and experience of living with the condition.
The eight Local Research Networks are also connecting with their regional communities to ensure issues important to people in that area are high on the local agenda.
The UKDRN is always looking for people who would like to become involved, and a dedicated Patient & Public Liaison Officer (Martin Lodemore -m.lodemore@imperial.ac.uk ) is in post to advise and support those interested in helping to influence the UKDRN’s decisions.