10 Years of CRN East of England

To commemorate a decade of CRN East of England, we are revisiting our NHS and social care community’s biggest research moments over the years.

2014 – Launch of the Clinical Research Network

The NIHR launched the Clinical Research Network (CRN), with an aim to support patients, the public and health and care organisations across England to participate in high-quality research, thereby advancing knowledge and improving care.

The CRN supported research being delivered through 30 specialty therapy areas and 15 Local Clinical Research Networks. These provided a network of research expertise and clinical leadership to deliver research studies on the NIHR CRN Portfolio of studies. A staff photo taken at the launch event in 2014 is pictured above.

2015 – Radiotherapy trial shows that streamlined treatment is effective

The IMPORT HIGH study closed in 2015, and the results showed that treatment times for radiotherapy could be reduced for some early breast cancer patients.

Results from the trial, which was co-funded by the NIHR and led by Professor Charlotte Coles (University of Cambridge), showed that giving some breast cancer patients a targeted additional dose of radiotherapy at the same time as treatment to the whole breast (known as simultaneous integrated boost or SIB), cuts the time taken to complete treatment by at least one week.

The trial found that SIB radiotherapy given at the right dose works just as well as existing radiotherapy techniques in reducing the risk of the cancer returning in the treated breast.

2016 – Study maps priorities for UK eye care research

The NIHR-supported UK Eye Survey launched in 2016, led by Professor Rupert Bourne (Anglia Ruskin University). The survey examined the sight of 2,240 people across the country.

The results were published in 2024, and prevention of conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma, as well as better integration of primary and secondary care, were identified as priorities for UK eye care research for the next five years.

2017 – UK patient survey first for region's Ambulance Trust

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) was the first ambulance trust in the country to gain feedback on their research involvement from a patient via the Patient Research Experience Survey (PRES). Due to the nature of paramedic work, obtaining patient survey responses are extremely difficult but with support from CRN East of England, Research Paramedic Larissa Prothero led a collaboration with acute trusts in the region to overcome obstacles.

She said: "To involve ambulance trusts in PRES, there is a need to think outside the box when reaching out to our patients. We have worked with Stroke Research Nurse, Natalie Temple at North West Anglia NHS Trust, to obtain survey responses. It's been a huge collaborative effort so thanks to everyone who has got on board with this initiative, in particular the patients who have taken part."

2018 – Large scale diabetes study leads to national NHS prevention programme

The NIHR-funded Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study, which ran from 2011 to 2018, aimed to reduce the risk of participants at highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. It successfully recruited over 12,000 volunteers through GP practices in Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex.

The trial tested a simple lifestyle intervention, which helped people make small achievable lifestyle changes that led to a modest weight loss and increases in physical activity.

The study found that support to make modest lifestyle changes, including losing two to three kilograms of weight and increased physical activity over two years, reduced the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 40 to 47 per cent for those categorised as having prediabetes.

The results of the study helped to shape The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which identifies people at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and refers them onto a nine-month, evidence-based lifestyle change programme.

2019 – World-first NHS research game launches

To help spread the word about research, CRN East of England launched the world's first NHS research game in 2019 to tell the story of how scientists have found treatments for health conditions.

In ‘Rebo’s Research Adventure’, players join Rebo the NHS Research Robot on a journey back in time, visiting key moments in history when medical discoveries were made to help us care for patients with diabetes. The aim of the game is to have fun while learning how health research is essential to finding life-changing new treatments for patients.

It is available to download for free to your iPad or Android tablet from the App Store and Google Play.

2020 – ‘Sponge on a string’ trial to transform oesophageal cancer diagnosis

A ‘sponge on a string’ test can identify ten times more people with Barrett’s oesophagus than the usual way it is diagnosed, after results from a three-year NIHR co-funded trial were published in 2020. The trial also found that the test, which can be carried out by a nurse in a GP surgery, is also better at picking up abnormal cells and potentially early-stage cancer.

The Cytosponge test, developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, is a small pill with a thread attached that the patient swallows, which expands into a small sponge when it reaches the stomach. This is quickly pulled back up the throat by a nurse, collecting cells from the oesophagus for analysis.

The trial is currently in its final stage, the BEST4 study, to evaluate whether it should be used as a national screening programme in the NHS.

2021 – The fight against COVID-19

After the pandemic hit in 2020, research teams across the world worked tirelessly to find a vaccine and effective treatments.

The East of England’s efforts in the fight against COVID-19 saw multiple impacts, including 13% of UK RECOVERY trial participants, the highest UK site recruitment for PANORAMIC, and the UK’s first Easy Read participant information sheet developed for the HICC trial. A nurse from the region was also the UK's only nurse to lead the What's the STORY? Study, looking at infection rates in children.

2022 - Young peanut allergy trailblazer is first to sign up to research trial

In 2022, Lennon became the first patient in the UK to follow a ground-breaking NHS treatment plan to try to reduce his allergy to peanuts. He was also the first person in the UK to sign up for a new peanut allergy study at James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The treatment plan involves small doses of peanut protein, called Palforzia, being given to the patient in soft food like yoghurt every day, with the dosage gradually increased every two weeks over the course of approximately one year. While the treatment does not present a cure for those with peanut allergies, it has shown to reduce sensitivity to peanuts and reduce allergic reactions.

The team behind Palforzia led the trial, which provides three types of educational materials to help healthcare professionals, parents/caregivers and patients use the treatment as safely as possible.

2023 – NICE recommends artificial pancreas technology

NICE recommended the “artificial pancreas” technology for patients who struggle to control their Type 1 diabetes in 2023, following many years of clinical trials. Its approval will benefit more than 100,000 people in England alone.

Professor Roman Hovorka (University of Cambridge) led the world-leading research on the artificial pancreas to provide insulin automatically. The artificial pancreas uses a glucose sensor under the skin to measure a person’s blood sugar levels. The researchers’ CamAPS FX mobile phone app receives these blood sugar levels wirelessly and automatically delivers insulin continuously by pump.

Over the last 15 years, the NIHR has supported the device’s development and extensive testing in over 30 separate studies. These have involved hundreds of patients, including pregnant women and very young children in whom diabetes can be difficult to control. Catriona, a diabetic woman from Norwich, was the first person to give birth naturally using an artificial pancreas.

2024 – Drug trial results shows evidence for shorter breast cancer treatment

In 2015, NHS Trusts in the East of England achieved the highest national recruitment to the NIHR-funded PERSEPHONE breast cancer drug trial. Collectively, the Trusts recruited 946 participants to the trial, amounting to over 23% of the study total.

PERSEPHONE was a Phase III, randomised trial which compared the impact of a six-month course of the adjuvant drug Trastuzumab (commonly known by the trade name Herceptin) to the standard twelve-month course, in patients with HER2 positive, early-stage breast cancer.

The results of the study, led by Chief Investigator Dr Helena Earl (University of Cambridge) were published in 2024. They showed strong evidence for a reduced period of active treatment could be just as successful for patients, reducing the overall risks posed by consequences of toxicity caused by the drug. Researchers hope that the reduced course duration will lower the risk of heart problems which can occur in some patients, without reducing the beneficial effects of the treatment.