AstraZeneca Secondment for Clinical Pharmacology Training

This proposal will provide funding for a trainee doctor to spend 9 months working on clinical trials in the biopharmaceutical industry. Trainee doctors in the NHS are required to undertake specialist training as set out in a training curriculum. However, a number of training activities related to clinical trials are not easily accessible within an NHS setting. The biopharmaceutical industry has a wealth of experience of designing and running early phase clinical trials, so this is an ideal setting in which to undertake training.

The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (AZ) has offered to host a trainee doctor for a 9 month placement. This would involve working with a clinical project team to gain experience in a range of activities involved in the design, set up and running of an early phase clinical trial. The trial in question would look at the safety and effectiveness of drugs to treat increased blood pressure in the blood vessels that lead to the liver. This is often caused by liver cirrhosis. There have been no new treatments in this disease area for over 20 years and complication rates are high even with existing treatments, so this is an important trial.

In addition to providing clinical trial experience, this placement will also provide wider access to the whole development pathway for new medicines. There will also be opportunities to interact with other early career researchers through a wide range of scientific meetings and events, plus leadership and management training. In this way, the placement creates a unique opportunity for growth of the trainee's skills, knowledge and professional network which will enhance downstream career choices. In return, the trainee doctor would bring to industry specialist expertise and clinical insight gained through working within the NHS at Addenbrooke's Hospital. This will be extremely useful when designing and running the proposed clinical trial for cardiovascular and liver disease.

With their close geographical location, this placement will create a unique opportunity for AZ, the University and the NHS to work together in Cambridge to develop professional skills and talent. By encouraging transfer of staff and sharing of knowledge between different sectors, it will, in turn, promote career development for the trainee doctor. Collectively, these factors align closely with the aims of the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme bringing a range of benefits to the wider biomedical sciences sector.

The aim of this secondment is to promote knowledge exchange between clinical teams in the NHS, academia and biopharmaceutical sector via cross-sector engagement on early phase clinical trial activity. This will be achieved through a 9-month secondment of a Specialty Training Registrar in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics from Addenbrooke's Hospital into the clinical project team for a Phase 1 or Phase 2a study within the Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolic group at AstraZeneca (AZ). The secondment will focus on a Phase 2 cirrhosis study with Zibotentan (an endothelin antagonist), in combination with dapagliflozin, in patients with portal hypertension or cirrhosis, an area of unmet clinical need.

The secondment will provide training for the secondee in key components of the core syllabus for Clinical Pharmacology, a discipline where there is a national skills shortage. Direct exposure to multiple aspects of the drug development pipeline will also provide a deep understanding of industry drivers in the development of a competitive molecule. In parallel, as a study physician, the secondee will bring significant research exposure, clinical acumen and a specific interest in renal disease which will be valuable to AZ in the context of renal aspects of cardiovascular and hepatic drug development.

Overall, this secondment will benefit all parties by promoting transfer of knowledge between sectors. Through direct exposure to the biopharmaceutical industry, it creates an opportunity for the secondee to enhance their professional skills, knowledge and network with opportunities for career development. By focusing on clinical pharmacology, the secondment will boost training in a specialty where there is a national skills shortage and AZ will benefit from the secondee's specialist clinical knowledge. Collectively, these factors align closely with the aims of the UKRI Innovation Scholars programme bringing a range of benefits to the wider biomedical sciences sector.