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We are a unique facility, located at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry~Londonderry, to promote and facilitate translational and clinical research.

The Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC) is a partnership between the Western Health and Social Care Trust, Ulster University and Derry City Council.

Our primary objective is to reduce both the time to market and the costs associated with research and development of innovative health technologies, medical devices and therapeutics.

C-TRIC's unique infrastructure and key support staff facilitate clinical research and innovation, enabling the streamlining of developments from the laboratory to the market place through a focused bench to bedside approach.

C-TRIC overview

C-TRIC creates the opportunity to develop and exploit partnerships between academic researchers, clinical practitioners and industry and provides specialist workspace and services for researchers, clinicians and the biotechnology industry including the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare technology sectors. C-TRIC is comprised of twokey components, a Clinical Research Facility and a Healthcare Innovation Hub.

C-TRIC is directly linked with Ulster University's Biomedical Sciences Research Institute (BMSRI) which had its international reputation as a world-leader in biomedical sciences research confirmed for an unprecedented third time when 95% of its research was rated as international, including a quarter being world leading. In the UK-wide University Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008) the Biomedical Schiences Research Institute was ranked second in terms of quality rating and first in terms of research power (within its subject area). C-TRIC also draws on the highly rated bioengineering, nursing and ICT expertise, which Ulster has to offer.

C-TRIC's offering

C-TRIC's unique infrastructure, coupled with its serviceable location on a major acute hospital site, provides the ideal centre to execute high standard clinical research, trials and evaluations. C-TRIC is the centre of an active clinical research community with access to a broad range of clinical services. The locality has a stable and homogeneous population (Northern Ireland population – 1.7 million) facilitating longitudinal and family-based research studies. C-TRIC is licensed to access, handle, process and store clinical materials and data and the expedition of studies is assisted by formal networks across UK and the island of Ireland. C-TRIC also has access to accredited diagnostic laboratories and pharmacy services.

In addition to quantitative clinical research approaches, C-TRIC researchers have expertise in qualitative research methods, which helps understand patient experiences of healthcare, treatments and concordance with health professionals' recommendations.

C-TRIC infrastructure

C-TRIC is a fully equipped clinical research centre with the following facilities:

  • Reception/waiting area
  • Clinical consultation rooms
  • Phlebotomy
  • Specimen reception area
  • Biomedical sciences/blood processing laboratory
  • Physiology laboratory
  • Clinical material storage facility
  • Clinical research office
  • Access to clean room facilities for preparation of medicinal formulations
  • Office accommodation/workspace
  • Controlled proximity card access
  • Convenient car-parking

Clinical research support

C-TRIC can provide support for setting up and delivering clinical studies, including assistance with:

  • Clinical trial/study design
  • Statistical analysis
  • Clinical epidemiology
  • Healthcare economics
  • Geospatial mapping
  • Randomization services

Clinical research strengths

  • Cardiology
  • Chronic disease management
  • Critical care
  • Diabetes
  • Gastroenterology
  • Nutrition
  • Oncology paediatrics
  • Respiratory medicine
  • Rheumatology
  • Stroke medicine
  • Psychology

Exemplar clinical research at C-TRIC

C-TRIC is facilitating a range of clinical trials and evaluations sponsored by both industry and government including the Trinity Ulster Department of Agriculture (TUDA) study. The TUDA study aims to examine the link between diet, genetics and health and is currently recruiting 6000 participants across the island of Ireland with a range of conditions including hypertension, osteoporosis and cognitive decline.

For further information contact Dr Geraldine Horigan email: gb.horigan@ulster.ac.uk

Personalised medicine capability

Clinical and academic knowledge-sharing and facilitated access to clinical materials and data at C-TRIC create a hub for research and development into Personalized Medicine solutions. C-TRIC researchers and clinicians are focusing upon a range of diseases in an effort to provide Personalized Medicine applications for conditions such as; colon cancer, prostate cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, ocular disease, etc. C-TRIC provides access to world class research capability in pharmacogenomics and systems biology with a focus on degenerative diseases (such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease) and gene-nutrient interactions/(nutrigenomics). Recent activities have included investigations involving: Nutrigenomics (Riboflavin), Prognostic Breast Cancer Survival Signature, and Male Infertility Diagnostic.

Personal focus, global vision

C-TRIC is seeking industrial and institutional collaborators to translate their research excellence into novel products and services for the global healthcare market.

Further information on C-TRIC please visit www.c-tric.com