May 2015 Bridging the Gap between Research Bench and Patient Bedside

The first European Training School on Clinical Trial Design and Management opens at NUI Galway today, in a concerted effort to accelerate the translation of new medical devices from research bench to patient bedside. The event will run until Friday, 8 May.

The European Training School on Clinical Trial Design and Management has attracted senior academic and industry-based researchers from all over Europe to Galway, with the common aim of understanding the clinical trial process. These researchers see the trial process as the final hurdle in bringing their novel medical devices to the market, and more importantly, to the patient.

The European Training School is organised by Dr Martin O'Halloran, a Medical Device Engineer at NUI Galway. Dr O'Halloran is Vice-Chair of a large European network called MiMed, whose aim is to accelerate the clinical evaluation and commercialisation of novel medical devices. This unique network is composed of over 190 researchers from 24 countries.

Dr O'Halloran said: “Millions of Euro are spent every year on European medical research, but how much of that research actually makes it way to the patient? What percentage of that funding makes a tangible impact on patient care? As researchers, we have a responsibility to ensure that new discoveries in the lab make their way into clinical practice, and have a real societal and economic benefit. Training schools, such as the one being held at NUI Galway, are one important mechanism to make that happen.”

The training school is supported by the HRB Clinical Research Facility at NUI Galway, which will provide practical solutions to the challenges involved in designing and managing a clinical trial.

During the week NUI Galway’s Professor Martin Leahy and Professor Mark Bruzzi will address the training school describing their experience in the medical device industry, and their success in translating medical research to have a real and tangible impact on patient care.

Dr O’Halloran continued: “With the strong culture of medical device start-ups in Galway, the recent establishment of the Centre for Research in Medical Devices (CÚRAM), and new Clinical and Translational Research Facility about to open, NUI Galway is in a very strong position to lead these important European initiatives.”

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