Research and development is a vital part of what we do. Mike Gandy, Head of Research and Development, explains how important it is throughout the organisation.

Since the formation of HSL, we have supported over 1,200 research projects, and work closely with colleagues who contribute to a broad range of research publications across Sonic Healthcare UK.

Some of these R&D activities are well signposted and will be recognisable to you. You may be involved in some, but may not be aware of others at all.

Across our organisation, we can look at research and development as three distinct groups of activity.

Supporting clinical trials

First, there is the research activity we perform to support and help manage clinical trials which flow through our partner hospitals. This makes up approximately 75% of our research portfolio.
It’s crucial to our Trust partners, and the wider healthcare community, to generate data to advance improvements in patient care, often allowing patients access to novel therapies which would otherwise not be available.

In our laboratories you may not always recognise these samples as being part of a trial or study.

This is particularly true when they are from patients recruited from within our partner Trusts because this activity flows through the laboratory as concurrent diagnostic tests.

However, the data that’s generated can be critical to the outcomes of a particular trial or study.
As the electronic records systems within the hospital mature, there are a number of initiatives underway to improve the identification of research samples and to allow improved visibility of the importance of these samples from bedside to laboratory.

Where we do identify research samples as belonging to a trial or study, it is often the case that special handling protocols are required with our laboratories supporting with the setup of new local tests or referral pathways.

Each of our hospitals has specialist research interests linked to their areas of clinical focus. These include cancer, haematology, neurosurgery, critical care, infection and stroke rehabilitation at UCLH.

Royal Free specialises in rheumatology, infectious diseases, liver and renal transplant medicine and immunology.

Importantly, clinical trial activity is not restricted to our larger teaching hospitals.
Active programmes are also underway at our NHS hospitals at North Middlesex, Barnet & Chase Farm, Northwick Park, Central Middlesex and Ealing Hospitals who often work collaboratively with their regional tertiary referral centres and across our supported hospitals within the independent sector.

Supporting academic research

Second, there is the research activity we perform directly on behalf of our academic investigators and their respective universities.

This activity often requires a bespoke service, as every request is different, and it is only achievable through the support of each relevant laboratory department who are willing to support these often-complex projects.

I am pleased to report a growing interest and endorsement of these projects from our laboratory community.

Also included in this group is research performed by our own staff, often as part of undergraduate or postgraduate studies, and linked to new analytical tests or methodologies to be utilised within our laboratories.

IVD and pharmaceutical support

Third, we work directly with the IVD, pharmaceutical and contract research organisations. This often includes early assessment of new instruments and diagnostic tests before they come to market. Regulatory approved tests allow us to stay at the forefront of the diagnostic sector or establish new, cutting-edge assays, which are required to support clinical trial activity.

In addition to our NHS activity, the TDL Trials Division, based at the Halo building, is very active in providing analytical and support services for single and multicentre Phase I, II and III clinical trials, safety and pharmacodynamic testing, and patient- monitoring to global pharmaceutical companies and the biotechnology industry. You can find out more about TDL Trials by visiting https://www.tdlpathology.com/services/tdl-trials

Our research and development activities are overseen by the Innovations Board, chaired by Professor Bryan Williams, Director of the UCLH Biomedical Research Centre, which has representation from each of our Trust partners.

The board, together with subject matter experts, provides the forum to review new opportunities which focus on advancing clinical diagnostics and ensure we are listening to, and meeting the needs of our Trust and academic partners.

Research portal

All research activity is captured on our research portal which is accessible via the website.

Our current areas of interest include the development and assessment of new technologies supporting:

  • Rapid identification, resistance and sensitivity testing in infection management with an aim to reduce result time from 24- 48 hours to 6-8 hours.
  • HPV detection supporting diagnostic and treatment pathways in head and neck cancers from fine needle aspirated washing.
  • Use of liquid biopsy using cell free DNA for the detection and monitoring of a range of cancers.
    Development of next generation sequencing based antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infrastructure to support AMR testing and stewardship.
  • Use of rapid next generation sequencing gene fusion panels for diagnosis and treatment stratification of haematological malignancies.

We also capture our staff members’ involvement in research publications and presentations.
This includes oral presentations and conference posters, letters and peer review scientific articles and chapter contributions to textbook authorship.

If you would like to learn more about or discuss any research and development activities across the organisation, or if you have been involved in published research, you contact research@hslpathology.com to register this activity with us.

More information on our Trusts’ research activities can be found at: