Education
& training
Do you work in clinical trials and want to know more about cancer trials? Training and education sessions are run by our staff, who draw from decades of experience in both teaching and clinical research.
All courses take place at Maple House (3rd Floor), 149 Tottenham Court Road, W1T 7NF or online.
Upcoming training
Training courses
Introduction to cancer clinical trials for new starters - Tuesday 22 September 2026
Trainer: Giulia Pellizzari, Education Lead, CRUK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
Start Date: 22 September 2026
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 13.00
This session provides a general introduction to cancer clinical trials for staff new to academic cancer studies.
Participants will get an overview on what clinical trials are and how they can have a preventative, curative or palliative aim. The session covers the practical and scientific reasons why we need clinical trials, what are the differences between Phase I, II, II and IV studies and the different methods of randomisation. The session also highlights how drug development trials in cancer differ from non-cancer studies and how the new era of targeted therapy and immunotherapy is changing the way cancer trials are designed.
This course will take place in person in the CTC, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4TJ
Cost:
This course is free for staff from Units within Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:
Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. A cancellation fee of £50 will be charged to your department for late cancellations (less than 14 days) and no-shows for all courses.
Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.
Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:
£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations
£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations
Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@.ucl.ac.uk
All payments are to be made by either Debit/Credit Card ONLY
Navigating Cancer Trials: Essential knowledge - Tuesday 13 October and Wednesday 14 October 2026
Trainer: Giulia Pellizzari, Lecturer in Cancer Clinical Trials & Andre Lopes, Principal Statistician
Start Date: 13 October 2026
Start Time: 10.00
End Time: 17.00
- cancer biology and its relevance to treatment selection, tumour spread, and outcome assessment
- cancer diagnosis and staging, and their implications for screening, eligibility criteria, and trial entry
- commonly reported patient and tumour characteristics, including considerations in selecting stratification factors
- cancer treatments, including practical issues in documenting and reporting treatment delivery and protocol compliance
- adverse events associated with cancer therapies, and principles for their assessment and reporting
- response assessment in solid tumours and haematological malignancies, and the reporting of response-based endpoints
- survival and other time-to-event endpoints commonly used in cancer trials
- challenges arising in trials of novel therapies, including targeted agents and biomarker-informed treatments
Cost: Registration Fee £50.00
Running a trial from concept to completion - Thursday 15 October 2026
Trainer: Rubina Begum
Start Date: 15 October 2026
Start Time: 10.00
End Time: 13.00
This session gives an introductory overview of all the steps required to design, set up and complete an academic cancer trial conducted in the hospital setting.
Participants will know what all the organisations and people involved in trials do and what permissions and documents need to be in place at different stages of a trial. The course will be of most interest to those new to working in academic cancer clinical trials. Those currently working in the field who would like to gain an overview of what happens at other stages to the one familiar to them, may also benefit.
This course will take place in person in the CTC, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4TJ
Cost:
Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:
£0 free for attendees from units within the Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:
- Cancer Research UK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
- Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit
The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. A cancellation fee of £50 will be charged to your department for late cancellations (less than 14 days) and no-shows for all courses.
Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this.
£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations
£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations
Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC Training Administrator at ctc.training@.ucl.ac.uk
All payments are to be made by either Debit/Credit Card ONLY
Entering patients into clinical trials - pre treatment screening and eligibility - Tuesday 10 November 2026
Trainer: Laura Hughes
Start Date: 10 November 2026
Start Time: 10.00
End Time: 13.00
This session gives a comprehensive overview of the clinical pathways cancer patients can take to be eventually referred for trial entry.
The first part of the session spans across the diagnostic methods and staging of cancerand gives a brief overview of the common tests carried out prior to trial treatment.
In the second part of the session participants will learn about the importance of ensuring only eligible patients enter a trial and how eligibility criteria help to safeguard patients and differ amongst different phases of trials. They will also learn the importance of assessing treatment compliance and how every clinical intervention comes with a different set of challenges in collecting data about patient compliance.
Cost:
Fees &RegistrationThis course is freefor staff from Units within Institute of ClinicalTrials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:
- Cancer Research UK& UCL Cancer Trials Centre
- Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit
All payments are to be made by either Debit/Credit Card ONLY
CAR-T cell therapy in cancer clinical trials: manufacturing, regulations and clinical delivery course - 18th November 2026
Trainer: see above
Start Date: 18 November 2026
Start Time: 09.30
End Time: 16.15
Course aim
Thiscourse offers a thorough exploration of CAR-T cell therapies (Chimeric AntigenReceptor T cell) within the realm of clinical trials. Participants will delveinto the historical background of CAR-T therapies, their classifications,regulatory frameworks, safety considerations, and their mechanism of action. Additionally,the course emphasizes Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), addressing essentialconsiderations, manufacturing processes, and quality control. By the end of thecourse, participants will have a firm understanding of CAR-T therapies in thecontext of clinical trials, including practical insights into managing CAR-Tcell therapy trials and an overview of their clinical implementation.
Target audience
This is a comprehensive course suitable for everyone aiming at understanding CAR-T cell therapies in the context of oncology research and clinical trials.
Delegates should have a basic prior knowledge of cancer.
Course content
The course covers a mix of frontal lectures, quiz and group discussions that will include topics such as:
- The science behind CAR-T cell therapy design
- Overview of CAR-T regulations
- CAR-T manufacturing processes
- Sponsor oversight of CAR-T regulations and manufacturing
- CAR-T Trial designs, trial management & logistics
- CAR-T in clinical practice: haematological malignancies
- CAR-T in clinical practice: solid malignancies and their challenges
Course lecturers
Alice Piapi (Clinical Trial Monitor, CRUK& UCL
Karin Straathof (Consultant Paediatric Oncologist,GOSH)
Claire Roddie (Consultant Haematologist, UCLH)
Alex Day (Clinical Trials Operations Manager,CRUK & UCL CTC)
Bilyana Popova (Senior Project Manager ATIMPgroup, CRUK & UCL CTC)
Yusuf Jaami (Senior Regulatory Manager, CRUK & UCL CTC)
Mhairi Vaughan (CAR T GMP Production, UCLCCGTT)
Michelle Quaye (Regulatory Manager, ATMPs,UCL JRO)
AlisonEvans (Regulatory Manager, ATMPs, UCL JRO)
Cost:
£25 for attendees from Clinical Trials Units
£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations
£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations
A light lunch will be provided
Last date to book: 9 November 2026
Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries, please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk
Spaces are allocated on a first come first served basis.
Payment is by credit card only.
Cancer treatments and their side effects - compliance and adverse event reporting - Thursday 19 November 2026
Trainer: Giulia Pellizzari, Education Lead, CRUK & UCL Cancer Trials Centre
Start Date: 19 November 2026
Start Time: 10.00
End Time: 13.00
This session is a basic introduction to cancer treatments and their most common side-effects and adverse reactions.
The course provides an overview on cancer surgery ,radiotherapy and chemotherapy we well as insights on the mechanisms of action of targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, small inhibitory molecules, CAR-T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors.
In the second part of the session, participants will learn about the mechanisms of toxicity linked to the different categories of cancer therapy and how these are managed.
This course is not recommended for clinicians.
This course will take place in person in the CTC, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, W1T 4TJ
Cost:
Fees &Registration
This course is free for staff from Units within Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:
- Cancer Research UK& UCL Cancer Trials Centre
- Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit
The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. A cancellation fee of £50 will be charged to your department for late cancellations (less than 14 days) and no-shows for all courses.
Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this. Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:
£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations
£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations
Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk
All payments are to be made by either Debit/Credit Card ONLY
Trial outcomes - what are we trying to measure? - Tuesday 1st December 2026
Trainer: Will Wilson / Amy Kirkwood
Start Date: 01 December 2026
Start Time: 10.00
End Time: 13.00
This session, aimed at non-statisticians, will cover the most common primary outcomes measures used in early and late phase cancer trials.
Participant swill learn what makes a good outcome measure, how outcomes measures are defined and what data need to be collected to assess the outcome, especially for tumour response assessment and time to event measures such as survival and disease (orprogression) free survival.
Cost:
Fees & Registration
This course is free for staff from Units within Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology (ICTM) which are:
- Cancer Research UK& UCL Cancer Trials Centre
- Comprehensive Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
- PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit
The free places require a password to book, if you work within the ICTM please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk to request this. Emails must be sent from your UCL account and include your name, job title, and the department which you are working in. A cancellation fee of £50 will be charged to your department for late cancellations (less than 14 days) and no-shows for all courses.
Other UCL attendees who are required to pay the course fee can do this by reserving a free place on the online store and then paying by IDT, please email ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk who can assist you with this. Attendees from outside the ICTM will be required to pay an attendance fee. Fees are based on the attendee's organisation as follows:
£50 for attendees from non-profit organisations
£100 for attendees from for-profit organisations
Please register for this course via the UCL online store. If you have any queries please contact the CTC training administrator via ctc.training@ucl.ac.uk
All payments are to be made by either Debit/Credit Card ONLY
More information
Our courses provide training and education on a range of topics to people involved in cancer clinical trials. These include understanding cancer, trial design and analyses, cancer outcome measures including health-related quality of life, advanced cell and gene therapy trials, and designing patient information materials.
Places are available to anyone involved in clinical trials, including those working in a UKCRC Registered Clinical Trials Unit (CTU), the NIHR Clinical Research Network in the NHS, or pharmaceutical companies.
Statisticians new to cancer trials should attend the annual Navigating Cancer Trials: Essential knowledge Course.
Clinicians may benefit from two of the trial and data management courses: Running a trial from concept to completion and Trial outcomes.