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THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER FACULTY OF MEDICAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES MANCHESTER PHARMACY SCHOOL (with affiliation to the Institute of Cancer Sciences) JOB DESCRIPTION Title: Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Cancer Pharmacometrics Academic Department: Manchester Pharmacy School (with affiliation to the Institute of Cancer Sciences) Salary: Will be within the following ranges: Lecturer (Grade 6/7) - £33,562 to £46,400 Senior Lecturer (Grade 8) - £47,787 to £57,031 (subject to qualifications and experience) Responsible to: Head of the Manchester Pharmacy School (currently Professor Kay Marshall) Qualifications: PhD (or equivalent) Tenure of post: Permanent (subject to satisfactory completion of probationary period) Summary This is an outstanding opportunity for a new appointment for a Senior Lecturer or Lecturer in Cancer Pharmacometrics within the Manchester Pharmacy School with affiliation to the Institute of Cancer Sciences. The appointment forms part of a global recruitment drive to bring some of the world’s leading cancer experts and their teams to Manchester. This represents an exciting opportunity to recruit some of the best international research talent in screening and prevention, personalised cancer therapy, radiotherapy related research, lung cancer, melanoma, women's cancers and haematological oncology. The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the UK with an ambition to be in the top 25 universities worldwide; The Christie is the biggest specialised cancer treatment centre in Europe treating over 40,000 patients a year and the first designated comprehensive centre in the UK. These combined strengths have been harnessed through development of a common strategic vision and an investment plan that capitalises on the enormous potential and opportunity especially in translating research into the clinic. The appointee will have a comprehensive understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics applied to the development of personalised cancer therapies and will also focus on developing a research theme within the Faculty’s Institute of Cancer Sciences in the area of biomarker modelling. 1 He/she will collaborate with colleagues at the Manchester Cancer Research Centre, the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit at The Christie and the adjacent Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute and Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre. The post holder will also interact with biostatisticians in the Institutes of Human Development and Population Health. The Christie’s Early Clinical Trials Unit is one of the largest in the world. The majority of the clinical trials conducted include imaging, circulating and/or tissue based biomarkers to predict response, to monitor drug activity for optimal dose and schedule selection, and as surrogates of clinical response. This post has been developed to reflect the prioritisation of the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) to become world leading in the delivery of personalised medicine to cancer patients. The post holder will also contribute to the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching provision and to the advancement of an internationally recognised programme of research within the Manchester Pharmacy School. The post holder will contribute to developing teaching and assessment methods, curriculum development and research. The University of Manchester values a diverse workforce and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. 2 Contents Page A) Proposed Appointment ............................................................................... 4 B) Details of Appointment .............................................................................. 4 C) Person Specification .................................................................................. 5 D) Facilities Related to the Appointment ........................................................... 6 E) The University of Manchester...................................................................... 7 F) The Christie NHS Foundation Trust ............................................................ 12 3 A) Proposed Appointment The appointee will undertake a programme of original research in line with the priorities of the Manchester Pharmacy School and will contribute to the drive towards personalised medicine delivery at the Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit at The Christie. The post holder will contribute to the undergraduate and postgraduate teaching provision and to the advancement of an internationally recognised programme of research within the Manchester Pharmacy School. B) Details of Appointment Research Undertake a programme of original research of international quality commensurate with the priorities of the Manchester Pharmacy School. Enhance the drive towards personalised medicine delivery at The Christie’s Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit. Conduct independent research on biomarker modelling methods. Work as part of a multidisciplinary team with other members of the University. Demonstrate ability to attract research income and publish in high impact international journals. Undertake and manage externally funded research projects, including providing effective supervision to research staff. Attract and supervise postgraduate research students in Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics. Academic Leadership Provide academic leadership in cancer pharmacometrics. Pursue excellence in teaching and learning Lead and participate in internal and external networks to foster collaboration and to promote The University of Manchester nationally and internationally. Education Contribute to the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate teaching within the School and associated areas within the University, including preparing and giving lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. Contribute to the design, preparation and development of learning materials. Contribute to the assessment of modules, which includes setting and marking assignments and examination papers and attend examination boards. Supervise undergraduate student projects. Supervise or co-supervise postgraduate students (taught and research) in the completion of their programmes of study. Provide advice and guidance to students to support their academic and personal progress through the personal tutor system. Contribute to research and development of innovative methods of teaching, learning and assessment. Undertake module leadership and management, including associated administration activities. Management Be an active member of the School and research group, liaising with staff at all levels with regard to teaching, research and administration. 4 Co-operate with colleagues in the review and development of the curriculum. Attend School and University wide meetings and committees as appropriate. Contribute to the assessment and establishment of health and safety procedures within the School. Forge interdisciplinary collaborations across the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC). Act at all times in accordance with the University’s policies and procedures relating to Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety and all other policies and procedures that apply to the post. Undertake appropriate training and continuous professional development activities. Any other tasks as appropriate to the post and grade, such as undergraduate recruitment, that may be reasonably requested. All new appointees are expected to attend the University’s teaching and learning training course. The post holder will have a designated research and teaching mentor who will advise and facilitate his/her development. In addition, the appointee will be encouraged to take part in other activities that will allow development of his/her full potential in research and teaching. C) Person Specification REQUIREMENTS ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Qualifications An undergraduate degree (1st or upper 2nd) in a relevant discipline A PhD in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics or modelling of biological systems Training & Experience A comprehensive understanding of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics High level of numeracy and programming skills Experience of modelling and simulation techniques Evidence of working independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team Excellent project management skills Ability to supervise undergraduate and postgraduate research projects Evidence of ability to play a leadership role in teaching, education and mentorship Familiarity with mixed effects modelling and associated software packages Experience with a programming language such as MATLAB or R Good working knowledge of biostatistics Good working knowledge of pharmacokinetic data analysis Experience in cancer research and, in particular, knowledge of cancer therapeutics Relevant industrial experience 5 Experience of teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students Academic/Research Achievements Evidence of ability to provide academic leadership A developing publication record in international journals of high impact Capable of developing and leading research in new areas, and in establishing links with industry and other academic researchers Ability to generate funding streams from research councils, European Commission and industry and to manage those externally funded research projects Personal Skills Proven ability to work well with students and staff Evidence of effective communication skills at all levels, and the ability to foster interdisciplinary collaboration Planning and organisational skills Personal Circumstances Reliable work record Candidates for Senior Lecturer should be able to demonstrate an established research profile, with evidence of the ability to successfully attract and manage a portfolio of externally funded research grants. Candidates should also present a strong publication record. D) Facilities related to the appointment The successful applicant will be based within the Manchester Pharmacy School and also spend time at The Christie site. At Manchester Pharmacy School, the Pharmacometrics work is led by Professors Leon Aarons, Brian Houston and Amin Rostami where the research is focussed on modelling and simulation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data, with a particular interest in both population pharmacokinetics and physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK), including in vitro/in vivo extrapolations; plus drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (in particular the role of drug transporters in PBPK modelling). The Clinical Experimental Pharmacology (CEP) group, led by Professor Caroline Dive, is based at the CR-UK Manchester Institute. It has expanded significantly since its 6 establishment in 2004, reflecting the breadth of its activities - in vitro, preclinical, in vivo and clinical. CEP staff are organised into several teams: PD biomarkers, QA, PK, Clinical Proteomics, Biomarker discovery, in vivo pharmacology and Molecular Pharmacology. Core research themes within CEP are the evaluation of novel therapies that promote apoptosis and those that prevent angiogenesis (in collaboration with Professor Gordon Jayson) and the evaluation of circulating tumour cells (in collaboration with Dr Fiona Blackhall). CEP has established commercial links, including a significant biomarker alliance with AstraZeneca. The MCRC Biobank facility collects research samples from the major hospitals across the Greater Manchester area, including ovarian cancer samples, which can be accessed for research. Also located on The Christie site is the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre (Imaging Facilities), which supports over 50 cancer specific imaging research projects. In addition, the facilities associated with the wider University will be available to the post holder. Within the Faculty of Life Sciences (FLS Facilities) this includes further facilities for imaging, biomolecular analysis and bioinformatics. The University Library has the most extensive range of electronic resources of any UK Higher Education Library. The successful candidate will have access to office space and IT support. E) The University of Manchester www.manchester.ac.uk Manchester Pharmacy School The School undertakes world leading research from basic pharmaceutical science through to applied pharmacy practice. It carries out multi-disciplinary research with demonstrable impact for patients and the public and is known nationally and internationally for its particular strengths in the areas of: Cancer biology and drug development. Biofilms and infection. Predictive and translational pharmacokinetics research on drug metabolism. Prescribing and medicines safety. Workforce planning and evaluation of pharmacy services. Focus of cancer research in the School of Pharmacy: Understanding how micro-environmental conditions such as hypoxia, inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to tumour cell metabolism and signalling, drug transport and metabolism and response to therapy. Using these findings to develop novel optical and PET imaging strategies. Identifying novel targets for intervention and strategies that would improve response to currently used radio and/or chemotherapy. Improving response to drugs by modelling and predicting pharmacokinetics, drugdrug interactions, pharmacodynamics and applying novel methods to enhance drug delivery. Investigating the interaction of other chronic diseases (hypertension, type 2 diabetes, respiratory disease) and their medications on the progression and survival of patients with cancer. 7 Generating evidence on medication use and outcomes in cancer patients outside of the clinical trial setting to inform healthcare economics and epidemiology using real world data. The pharmacometrics team comprises the following: Professor Leon Aarons has research interests in modelling and simulation of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data, with a particular interest in both population pharmacokinetics and physiologically based pharmacokinetics (PBPK). Professor Brian Houston and Doctor Aleksandra Galetin have research interests in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, particularly in drug transporters and PBPK modelling. Professor Amin Rostami has research interests in PBPK modelling and in vitro/in vivo extrapolation. The University of Manchester is Britain’s largest and most popular university, with a distinguished history of academic achievement and an ambitious agenda for the future. The University, with income in excess of £780M, has four Nobel Prize winners amongst its current academic staff, and has embarked on an exciting and bold course which aims to make us one of the top 25 universities in the world, as set out in the University’s strategic vision for 2020: Strategic Vision 2020. The University of Manchester was established in 1824, bringing together The Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST to form The University of Manchester. It has an excellent track record in research, as demonstrated by a research power exceeded only by Oxbridge in the RAE 2008 and specifically by the award of two Nobel prizes in physics in 2010. The University’s research strategy can be found here: UoM Research Strategy. The academic structure of The University of Manchester is made up of Faculties and Schools. There are four Faculties and further information about each Faculty and its related Schools can be found here: UoM Faculties and Schools. In the last few years, the University has spent more than £400M transforming the campus and building a world-class environment for outstanding scholars, teachers and internationally acclaimed research teams. This is the largest investment ever seen in UK higher education history. A further £250M investment by 2015 will bring the total spend to more than £650M. Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences www.mhs.manchester.ac.uk The Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences is a leading international centre for research and education in medicine and a spectrum of health-related professions including nursing, midwifery, social work, pharmacy, dentistry, psychology, audiology and speech and language therapy. A major review in 2011/12 led to a new strategy and structure intended to enhance research and teaching performance. A key component of the new approach is the creation of a matrix structure linking five Faculty Schools with six Faculty Institutes. Details of the structure can be found here: FMHS Structure. 8 The objective is to ensure that the Faculty achieves a major international academic profile in each priority area within a period of five years and the strategy focuses research efforts in six priority areas: Human Development including Women’s and Children’s Health Cardiovascular Sciences Cancer Sciences Inflammation and Repair Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health Population and Health Sciences The Faculty has a total income of £210M, around 6,500 undergraduate students and 2,500 postgraduate students. It has strong relationships with outstanding NHS partners, which are critical in achieving our mission. Manchester Pharmacy School www.pharmacy.manchester.ac.uk The Manchester Pharmacy School, University of Manchester, is one of the UK’s leading centres for research with 95% of its work classed as internationally significant in the latest national assessment of research in UK universities (RAE 2008). The Manchester Pharmacy School dedicates itself to research on medicines, aiming to improve aspects of their design, development and use, as well as research covering the practice of pharmacy and the delivery of pharmaceutical services to patients and consumers. This is being advanced within a number of strategic research themes which encompass both the science and practice of pharmacy. It also delivers a fouryear MPharm degree programme leading to a professional qualification in pharmacy, and a number of post-graduate courses, including the Pharmaceutical Industry Advanced Training programme (PIAT) and the School hosts the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) . The Manchester Pharmacy School has close relationships with Medicine, and Life Sciences, and is the location of industrial collaborations within the Centre for Applied Pharmacokinetic Research (http://www.pharmacy.manchester.ac.uk/capkr/) and CoE Biopharmaceuticals (http://www.coebp.ls.manchester.ac.uk/), particularly relating to development of clinical trials within MAHSC. The Manchester Pharmacy School is located in the renovated Stopford Building on Oxford Rd. The Head of the School is Professor Kay Marshall. Further information can be found on the school website at http://www.pharmacy.manchester.ac.uk/ Institute of Cancer Sciences www.cancer.manchester.ac.uk The Institute of Cancer Sciences is one of six Faculty Institutes within the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences. It comprises five research themed Centres: Haematological Oncology; Paediatric, Teenage and Young Adult Cancer; Personalised Therapy; Radiotherapy Related Research and Women’s Cancer. Research interests span from biomarker studies using clinical proteomics and microarray analyses to clinical trials. The present management team includes: 9 Professor Henry Kitchener Professor Tim Illidge Professor Vaskar Saha Professor Paul Townsend Professor John Radford Dr Andrew Clamp Institute Director Centre Lead for Radiotherapy Related Research Centre Lead for Paediatric, Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Centre Lead for Personalised Therapy Centre Lead for Haematological Oncology Centre Lead for Women’s Cancer There are 36 substantive academic members of staff within the Institute, including 25 academic clinicians. The Institute of Cancer Sciences has a first rate publication record in high impact medicine and cancer journals and has a significant research income from industry, research councils and charities. The majority of the Institute of Cancer Sciences researchers have laboratory space in one of the University buildings on The Christie site, which provides a focus for cancer research activity - combining an international reputation for cancer research with the largest scale cancer clinical service in the UK. Other activity in the Institute of Cancer Sciences is based either on the University’s Oxford Road site or in key Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) partner sites at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust. The large patient base found in Greater Manchester and links to the research network provides major opportunities for the growth of clinical and translational research, a key objective of the Trusts and the University. The Institute of Cancer Sciences plays a key role in taking advantage of this opportunity to seamlessly link basic and clinical science. Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute is a leading cancer research institute funded by Cancer Research UK (CR-UK), the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world. Research spans the whole spectrum of cancer research, from programmes investigating the molecular and cellular basis of cancer, to those focused on translational research and the development of novel therapeutic approaches and experimental pharmacology. Currently the Institute contains multiple Cancer Research UK-funded basic science and translational science research groups. The programmes span from basic science mechanisms of cell proliferation through to the identification of new biomarkers for novel treatments. The CR-UK Manchester Institute is located in the Paterson building and has excellent laboratory facilities and outstanding core services, including microarrays, confocal microscopy, bioinformatics, histology, and access to mass-spectrometry based proteomics. There is also a biological resource unit with expertise in generating transgenic mice as well as tumour implantation studies. A Cancer Research UK funded Drug Discovery Unit was established at the CR-UK Manchester Institute in 2009. Integrating medicinal, computational and synthetic chemistry with in vitro and cellular biology, the Unit investigates novel drug discovery targets in an attempt to provide new chemical entities for the treatment of unmet clinical needs in cancer patients. It has established facilities to enable state-of-the-art 10 biological and clinical target assessment and validation, small molecule drug design and synthesis and the biological evaluation of the resultant compounds. Manchester Academic Health Science Centre www.mahsc.ac.uk The University, and in particular the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, is a key member of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC). Formed in 2008, MAHSC is a Federation of Equal Partners enabled by a Company Limited by Guarantee. The partners involved in the MAHSC are: The University of Manchester, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Salford Primary Care Trust (NHS Salford), Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust. MAHSC is one of only five Department of Health designated AHSCs in the UK. The designation is a mark of excellence across research, innovation, education and patient service, and recognition of the potential to excel in translational medicine. MAHSC’s vision is to be a leading global centre for the delivery of innovative applied health research and education into healthcare. As with other AHSCs, MAHSC has a dual role: to act as a beacon of international excellence for the UK and to provide leadership and early adoption for our local health system. This will be delivered via a tripartite approach encompassing: research and innovation; education and training; and clinical service. Manchester Cancer Research Centre www.mcrc.manchester.ac.uk The Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRC) was established in January 2006 by The University of Manchester, The Christie and Cancer Research UK to integrate cancer research efforts across the basic, translational and clinical research spectrum. It brings together the expertise, vision and resources of partner organisations that have formidable individual reputations in cancer research and treatment. The partnership harnesses Manchester’s significant strengths to maximise the enormous potential and opportunity, ultimately leading to improvements in treatment that will benefit patients in the city and beyond. The MCRC forms the cancer research arm of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC). It is also an accredited Cancer Research UK Centre, part of a national framework of 18 Centres of excellence in cancer research. Unprecedented advances in our understanding of cancer biology, coupled with developments in enabling technologies, have provided a unique opportunity to implement personalised medicine for cancer patients. The MCRC is exploiting these opportunities by implementing an integrated personalised medicine strategy - using individual patient’s clinical, genomic and epidemiological characteristics to deliver the most effective first-line treatments, and to modify treatment as the tumours evolve under the selective pressure of treatment. The MCRC’s approach will transform patient care and improve cancer outcomes, achieving sustained responses to treatment. Going beyond the current personalised medicine paradigm, which is largely focussed on late stage patients entering molecularly-targeted drug based 11 therapies, the MCRC aims to implement personalised medicine at diagnosis and all the way through treatment with surgery, radiotherapy and drug therapy. The MCRC is almost uniquely placed within the UK to be in the vanguard of personalised medicine developments, with a proven track record of working together and an impressive staff of outstanding leaders who will deliver our research programmes. These wide ranging innovative and interconnected programmes are supported by a comprehensive platform of facilitating infrastructure and technologies, ensuring that exploratory translational research is taken through the regulatory steps needed for clinical testing and robust demonstration of clinical utility. Few places have the breadth and depth of expertise, the buy-in from all partners, the investment, the infrastructure, and the access to a large and diverse patient population to become internationally leading in this area. A major achievement in 2013 was the successful bid to establish a national cancer imaging research centre that formally links Manchester with the University of Cambridge – the Cancer Research UK/Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Cancer Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester. It combines cuttingedge translational research and clinical trials with state-of-the-art imaging, genomics and pre-clinical research. By combining these two locations the CMCIC has access to a large patient population and vital clinical trials infrastructure supported by Cancer Research UK’s Experimental Cancer Research Centres. Cancer Research UK has recognised the potential of lung cancer research in Manchester and, following the successful recruitment of new Lung Cancer Chairs, will be awarded CR-UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence status jointly with University College London (UCL). The Manchester-UCL Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence will combine unique and complementary strengths in clinical and translational cancer research between the two sites to create an environment in which basic and clinical lung cancer research of international standing will flourish. Outstanding facilities already exist within the MCRC, however, a new research building is currently under development and will be completed in the summer of 2014. This will allow for the expansion of vital research activities with tremendous potential for future breakthroughs that improve treatment for cancer patients. It will accommodate 250 staff, including 150 scientists whose research will focus entirely on early cancer research that aims to understand how cancer starts, develops and progresses. Working alongside these researchers, The Christie will re-locate 100 clinical trials support staff to the second floor of the building. Researchers in Manchester have access to the MCRC Biobank, which provides scientists with access to a large quantity of high quality biological samples for research purposes. The Biobank provides a centralised resource, collecting samples from five NHS Trusts across the Greater Manchester area. F) The Christie NHS Foundation Trust www.christie.nhs.uk The Christie NHS Foundation Trust was established in 1901 by charitable donations, as a specialist hospital caring for cancer patients and developing new treatments. It became a Foundation Trust in April 2007, has 30,000 members and a turnover of £183M. It has a green governance rating and a financial risk rating of 4 (good) from 12 Monitor and was rated one of the top 5 hospitals in England by the 2011 staff and inpatient survey. The Christie is the sole provider of radiotherapy and chemotherapy to the 3.2 million people in the Greater Manchester and Cheshire cancer network, which is the largest in England. It also provides highly specialist surgical cancer services to patients across the north west and nationally. In addition, it delivers radiotherapy services from two satellite centres that it runs at the Royal Oldham and Salford Royal hospital sites. Consultants from The Christie visit 8 other hospitals in the network, delivering outpatient services and some chemotherapy treatments. The Christie brings together basic and translational research with NHS service on a single site to deliver new cancer treatments. It is one of the largest cancer centres in Europe, treating more than 40,000 cancer patients a year, and has been elected to the board of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI), the umbrella organisation for all the major cancer centres in the EU. The Christie is organised in four clinical management divisions: Networked Services Division includes the Departments of Medical Oncology, Clinical Oncology, Palliative Care, Endocrinology, and Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology. Cancer Centre Services includes Surgery, Anaesthetics, HDU, Haematology, Radiology, Pathology, Pharmacy and Supportive care. In addition, the divisions of Christie Medical Physics and Engineering and Research and Education deliver important components of the comprehensive cancer centre. The Departments of Medical and Clinical Oncology have international reputations for their clinical work. All consultants are site specialised and common treatment policies are developed through the multi-disciplinary Disease Groups (DGs). Links to the cancer units are maintained through a number of peripheral and outreach clinics across the network. The Patient Treatment Centre opened in November 2010 and is a purpose built facility encompassing a dedicated Clinical Trials Unit, an outpatient chemotherapy treatment facility and a private patient facility. Two satellite radiotherapy centres, at Oldham and Salford, enabling increased capacity for treatment and local delivery of treatment, opened in August 2010 and July 2011 respectively. There are plans for The Christie to develop satellite centres in the Pennine Trust and in Salford so that ambulatory care can be delivered locally. The Christie is committed to cancer research. The Research Division has strong links with The University of Manchester, Cancer Research UK and the Manchester Cancer Research Centre. Patient Treatment Centre and Early Phase Clinical Trials Unit The dedicated early phase Clinical Trials Unit was established on The Christie site in 2003. The subsequent development of the Clinical Experimental Pharmacology group, GCLP compliant laboratories, the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre and the MCRC Biobank have complemented this clinical infrastructure and, over the last 8 years, the Unit has flourished, doubling its research activity to more than 10,000 patient visits annually. It presently supports over 100 clinical trials, recruits over 700 patients per annum to early phase studies and collects over 18,000 biological research samples. A successful Clinical Research Infrastructure bid has allowed a major programme of expansion for clinical trials at The Christie and this has enabled Manchester to become one of the largest centres for early phase clinical trials worldwide. This infrastructure 13 forms part of the Patient Treatment Centre, a £35M development that includes enlarged facilities for clinical and translational research, an outpatient chemotherapy treatment facility, a pharmacy and a private patient facility. The opening of the Patient Treatment Centre in November 2010 reinforced Manchester as one of the premier sites for conducting early phase clinical research world-wide. MAHSC Trials Co-ordination Unit (MAHSC CTU) The primary purpose of the MAHSC Trials Co-ordination Unit is to undertake the management and coordination of investigator led clinical trials. The unit provides a wide range of services including; study design protocol development, cost estimates for grant funding applications, study setup, study quality management, study randomisation service, data management and statistical analysis. In November 2007, the MAHSC-CTU achieved full UK CRC trial unit registration; a prerequisite to enable DH/NIHR grant funding opportunities. It is the only such registered unit in the Greater Manchester region. Currently the MAHSC-CTU has a portfolio of 15 managed trials, including major national and international multi centre trials covering over 120 clinical research sites investigating treatment for patients with a range of cancers. The unit has been awarded funds from the HTA, Cancer Research UK and Breakthrough Breast Cancer, totalling over 2.5 million pounds. In 2010, additional pump priming infrastructure funding was awarded by the Christie Charity to facilitate future expansion. 14