Scotland’s chief scientist for health says the nation’s research community should be inspired by a positive picture of progress which is seeing more patients taking part in clinical trials.

The increased opportunities to take part in vital clinical research are being celebrated as new figures shine a spotlight on collaborative efforts to strengthen Scotland’s clinical research ambitions.

Announced today as part of International Clinical Trials Day, fresh data shows an increase in activity and participation across a range of therapeutic areas, including:

• 42% more recruits than in 2024
• The highest number of non-commercial recruits recorded – 47% higher than 2024
• The highest number of commercial recruits recorded – 16% higher than 2024
• 4,008 participants recruited to cancer trials – the highest since 2016
• 12,535 recruited to diabetes trials – three times larger than any previous year

Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Chief Scientist (Health) at Scottish Government heralded the new figures as evidence of investment and collaboration bearing fruit, demonstrating benefit for patients, the NHS and the wider economy in Scotland.

She said:

“The country’s research community should be inspired by this positive picture of activity. It is testament to collaborative efforts to strengthen our research ecosystem, nurture collaboration across NHS, academia and industry, and maximise opportunities for people to take part in and support research trials.

“It really is a collective effort – from the experts who oversee our groundbreaking trials, to the patients who so kindly volunteer to participate, and the members of the public who give their time to shaping better research. I thank you all.”

“To help realise improved treatment options and better outcomes for patients we must continue to build on this momentum and strive for more.”

International Clinical Trials Day (ICTD) – which acknowledges the first randomised clinical trial conducted in May 1747 by Scottish physician James Lind – is dedicated to celebrating clinical research and research enabled innovation around the world.

It is an important date for celebrating the thousands of people who collaboratively shape the future of healthcare by taking part in and supporting research studies.

The Scottish Government’s Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework 2025-2035 committed to “embedding health research and innovation throughout the NHS, supporting our dedicated research and innovation professionals, and working in collaboration with the academic and life sciences sector”.

Significant work is being led by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) and NHS Research Scotland (NRS) in support of this. It includes the development and launch of four Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) across Scotland thanks to investment of approximately £40million from the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access, and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme.

Designed to support and accelerate innovative clinical trials, the CRDCs aim to give patients the opportunity to efficiently access treatments that are not routinely available. With connections to teaching hospitals, general hospitals, primary and community care across the country, it forms a ‘Once for Scotland’ network to increase commercial clinical trial activity, participation and diversity over the next five years.

Positive results are already being seen with Scottish patients among the first to access innovative new treatments – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recruited the first patient in Europe to a study exploring the efficacy of a new treatment for children with Haemolytic Uremic Syndrome, while NHS Tayside recruited the first European patient for a gastro-oesophageal cancer trial.

Enhanced capacity and capability for advanced therapy trials is also evident with NHS Lothian’s first investigational CAR-T trial opened within 60 days and recruited within 7 days of opening, while NHS Tayside opened their first gene therapy study, and NHS Grampian set up their first advanced therapy trial.

Creating new opportunities

Further work is also underway to improve patient access to research in primary and community care through the Practice Embedded Research Unit (PERU) model with Penicuik Medical Practice the first PERU to officially open earlier this year and many more GP practices interested. Meanwhile the Scottish Decentralised Clinical Trials (SCOT-DCT) initiative is helping to bring commercial clinical research activities closer to, or into, patients’ homes. This minimises or even eliminates the need for participants to travel for trial visits, thus widening access to research for remote and rural areas and increasing ethnic and socioeconomic diversity.

The strengthening of Scotland’s research infrastructure is coupled with improving patient awareness and access to research through initiatives such as Be Part of Research and SHARE. These services enable patients to find out what health and social research is taking place in Scotland and sign up to be informed of future research activity that they could be suitable for.

A growing patient and public involvement (PPI) community across Scotland is also ensuring that the experiences of patients, carers and members of the public are part of the early design of research trials.

• People in Scotland can register with SHARE, Scotland’s Health Research Register and Biobank, to be kept informed of future research that they could be suitable for
• Sign up to Be Part of Research newsletter for all the latest news and information
• Join a PPI Group — use your experience as a patient, carer or member of the public to help researchers design and conduct their research studies by participating in these important groups

Follow activity at #ICTD26, #BePartofResearch and through NRS social channels.

This article is written as part of a promotional agreement between NHS Research Scotland (NRS) and Healthcare News Scotland.

Read more from NHS Research Scotland: Inaugural award for NHS Grampian R&D Director; GP practice launches dedicated research facility; Dundee celebrates part in ‘phenomenal’ cancer study; Cardiac gene therapy trial a ‘game changer’; Scotland leads world first in premature baby gut trial;

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