Annual Report Summary 2023/24

At Manchester BRC, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do.

We work closely across NIHR, industry, charities, and public funders to drive impactful research and foster partnerships that enhance translational research and improve patient outcomes.

NIHR infrastructure collaboration

We worked hand in hand with NIHR infrastructure partners to strengthen research capabilities and drive innovation.

Our Leadership Team shared key roles across the network which included NIHR Clinical Research Network (now NIHR Research Delivery Network), NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC) and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC).

Our collaboration with the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) enabled joint funding of core posts, enhancing capacity in public engagement, industry partnerships, data management and communications. We contributed to national and regional research networks to expand our impact. More than 42% of our studies were supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN), and we utilised innovative resources such as the GM-CRN research van to engage diverse populations, including healthy volunteers for NIHR BioResource studies.

Through the Northern BRC Network, we collaborated on pioneering projects such as Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Cystic Fibrosis (Sheffield) and research on Ageing, Sarcopenia, and Multimorbidity (Newcastle).

Our strong relationship with MAHSC ensured a seamless translational pathway from research to clinical application.

We continued to collaborate with charities including Cancer Research UK (CRUK), British Heart Foundation, and Versus Arthritis. CRUK’s investment in RadNet and Manchester Centre projects accelerates advancements in radiotherapy and drug development.

Industry engagement

We prioritised co-development with industry, working with partners such as Novartis, Roche, GSK, and Janssen. Our iMATCH programme enhanced access to advanced therapies, while the TARGET National and DETERMINE trials leveraged industry support to expand precision medicine. The Manchester Rare Conditions Centre played a key role in fostering partnerships with industry and rare disease networks, ensuring innovative therapies reached patients sooner.

We remain committed to creating an inclusive research environment that reflects societal diversity and promotes equitable career pathways.

To achieve this goal, we published a joint Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy with the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility. This provided a clear roadmap for embedding effective Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practices across our research communities to support our workforce and students.

In February 2024, we appointed an EDI Leadership Team to drive implementation of key strategic objectives and track progress against EDI key performance indicators. We also targeted funding calls for under-represented groups in research, including nurses and allied health professionals.

Our future activity will include:

• Next rising stars cohort to focus on under-represented groups to ensure an inclusive workplace.
• Implementing EDI training sessions for staff and students.
• Setting up staff networks to support under-represented groups.
• Expanding Training Needs Analysis to incorporate EDI questions for a better understanding of workforce needs to promote diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace culture.
• Conducting a workforce diversity survey across the BRC to gain insights into the diversity within teams, Themes and leadership positions.

Working together

Our 5-year joint Manchester BRC and Manchester CRF PPIEP Strategy was co-developed with Vocal, based on 4 values: Working Together, Everyone Matters, Innovating, and Driving Excellence. Collaborators included the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Research Advisory Group (BRAG), 60 public/community partners, 11 young people (Voice Up), and 35 researchers.

Governance

In line with Manchester’s actions for change resulting from piloting NIHR’s Race Equality Framework (2021-2022), public partners with experience of racial inequalities are now included across our Governance structures.

Impact

PPIE Specialists engaged people with diverse lived experience through Research Advisory Groups/Networks. They worked across our research Clusters with PPIE Leads to prioritise PPIE activities. Understanding the impact of PPIE is key to our work, (see Vocal’s evaluation strategy)

Across our Clusters, we focused on under-served populations and inclusive opportunities, which included:

• Inflammation Cluster: Two new patient advisory groups were established (Cardiovascular, Cardio-Rheumatology). Advice from public contributors resulted in changes to the recruitment materials.
• Under-Researched Conditions Cluster: A new Vocal Rare Conditions Network (34 members) was established. In Hearing Health, public partners influenced the protocols of a study on hearing loss caused by Type 2 diabetes and highlighted the need for adaptive diabetes devices for darker skin tones.
• Cancer Cluster: The Get Vocal on Cancer Network now has 215 members. A new Community Cancer Insight Group has been established in Gorton to guide inclusive practices.

Researchers reported increased motivation following PPIE activities, with public partners highlighting meaningful contributions and impactful changes.

Reaching under-served populations

405 new public partners worked with Vocal from December 2022 to March 2024 (diversity data below; comparable to GM Census data 2021).

Of new partners:

• 65%: White British, 15%: Asian, 6.5%: Black (African or Caribbean heritage).
• 39% identify as disabled.
• 2%: Heterosexual, 6%: Bisexual, 9%: Gay or Lesbian.
• 37%: working, 11%: unable to work, 3%: unemployed.

BRAG won Community Initiative of the Year (BAME Health & Care Awards 2023) and continues to exert strategic influence through Manchester BRC’s Governance structure membership and by advising on inclusive approaches.

Building experimental medicine capacity across our NHS Trust partnership continued to be a priority and significant progress was made against our key workstreams in our capacity building (CB) strategy. In 2023-2024, 32 PhD students were recruited through a competitive recruitment process. We introduced a bespoke induction to standardise training and recruitment, ensuring students felt part of the BRC. Our PhD Buddy Scheme has encouraged peer to peer support and collaboration.

We advertised our Clinical Research Investment Scheme (CRIS) which offered healthcare professionals the chance to unlock protected research time and access vital project funding. The overall ambition of the CRIS is to invest in and increase the capacity of healthcare professionals with research experience focusing on experimental medicine and early-phase translational research.

Working with NIHR, we recruited 2 researchers to the Associate Principal Investigator (PI) scheme for respiratory studies, with plans to expand across more areas. The Associate PI scheme is a 6-month in-work training opportunity, providing practical experience for health and care professionals starting their research career.

A Training Needs Analysis identified gaps in training, which shaped our Training Event and Seminar Series. In 2023-2024, 15 sessions were held covering topics such as Inclusive Research and epidemiology.

A total of 86 rising stars from diverse clinical and non-clinical roles participated in coaching sessions, with plans for bespoke leadership training. Around £1.8 million in funding was awarded to Early Career Researchers and NIHR Academy members.

To address the shortage of Clinical Research PIs at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a clinical PhD scheme was implemented, with 2 proposals planned for 2024-2025. Our CB Academic Career Development Lead co-chaired 3 NIHR GM Research Training Network Steering Group Meetings, promoting collaboration and sharing best practice.

With Health Innovation Manchester, we contributed to the development of the Research Opportunities Support Office, to streamline career development and training across Greater Manchester. Our Education and Training Manager joined the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Group, to ensure integration of EDI principles into training.

We continued to actively promote a positive and inclusive culture:

• Appointed leads across 13 research Themes and partner organisations to further embed CB.
• Collected EDI data from training events to improve offerings for under-represented groups.
• Used accessible communication methods and language for advertising vacancies and funding opportunities.
• Selected diverse panel members for application reviews and recruitment processes.

The Innovation and Partnerships team, co-led by NIHR Manchester BRC and NIHR Manchester CRF, developed a strategy centred around 3 pillars to enhance industry collaboration and commercial opportunities:

1. Embed industry for co-development and collective impact:

• Delivered the MedTech and IVD Innovation Lab (May 2023) in collaboration with Translation Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s Diagnostics and Technology Accelerator (now NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in Emergency and Acute Care), pairing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with researchers for co-development projects.
• Supported 3 industry co-funded projects through the BRC Innovation and Partnerships Pump-Prime Funding Call (Elekta, HealthConnect, Pharmanovia).
• Held 2 town hall sessions on HPV diagnostics and pan-cancer panels with our strategic partner QIAGEN, fostering partnerships in diagnostics innovation.

2. Build an entrepreneurial workforce:

• Re-launched the Innovator Training Scheme, transitioning to e-learning modules hosted on The University of Manchester’s Lifelong Learning platform and delivered in-person workshops (e.g., Essentials for Innovation in January 2024).
• Next steps to partner with HRC in Emergency and Acute Care and others to provide specialised regulatory and commercial guidance.

3. Commercialise:

• Developed and implemented a new Manchester BRC Intellectual Property (IP) policy, with IP audits and impact tracking projects underway.
• Established an IP and Commercialisation group to streamline processes and facilitate industry engagement.

Impact through long-term partnerships

• Bellus Health: Supported early-phase trials for camlipixant in refractory chronic cough, leading to a £1.6 billion acquisition by GSK.
• Orchard Therapeutics: Delivered the UK’s first gene therapy trial for MPSIIIA, now leading a Phase III trial and approved clinical delivery for metachromatic leukodystrophy.
• Varian: Longstanding collaboration on advanced radiotherapy, including proton beam therapy research and the FLASH Forward Consortium.

PPIE advice to industry partners

Collaborated with Galen Research, AbbVie, and Mitsubishi Tanabe on co-developing patient-centric tools and study designs. Provided input to in vitro diagnostics and MedTech partners (e.g., DEVOTE, PROGRESS) to improve test designs and service uptake.

Key figures

• We formed 201 strategic industry partnerships
• We worked with 130 international companies
• We worked with 109 small and medium-sized enterprises
• We collaborated on 93 projects with charities and funders

Why is this research important?

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) is where cancer has been found in the body (the secondary cancer), but current standard tests can’t identify where the cancer started (the primary cancer).

CUP is the 6^th leading cause of cancer death in the UK and patients from the country’s most deprived regions are more affected. Between 2-5% of new cancer diagnoses are CUP.

Treatment options for patients with CUP are limited because without knowing where the primary tumour is, we can’t use treatments that target a specific cancer type, which are more likely to work. This means around 80% of patients with CUP cannot be aligned to a known tumour type so receive standard chemotherapy treatment.

What did we do?

Researchers from Manchester BRC’s Cancer Precision Medicine Theme developed a new blood test that can accurately predict where the primary tumour is in patients with CUP.

The blood test, called CUPiD, can identify DNA which has been released from tumour cells into the bloodstream and analyse this to find out which type of cancer the DNA came from.

In a pilot study of 41 patients with CUP, the test predicted where the primary tumour was in 32 cases. For 23 of these cases, the prediction was consistent with the primary cancer type clinicians had suspected or that was later identified through other tests.

In 6 out of the 32 patients, the primary tumour was predicted where no diagnosis had been suspected. These were tumour types that have radically different treatment options to the standard chemotherapy recommended for CUP.

For around 9,000 cases of CUP diagnosed in the UK each year, this blood test has the potential to speed up diagnosis and enable better treatment options for patients.

This may result in improved management of the disease and patient outcomes, as well as reducing the uncertainty and psychological challenges patients experience when going through a diagnosis of CUP.

It also means that repeated biopsies (removing a piece of tumour for testing) wouldn’t be needed, which can be invasive, and therefore improves patient safety.

In collaboration with Vocal, the team have recently set up and run the first UK Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement CUP group, known as ‘CUP Club’. The group’s feedback on streamlining diagnosis through using a blood test has been positive and they encourage further research in this area.

The researchers have also worked closely with The CUP Foundation, an information resource providing support to CUP patients, their families and friends.

Read more about this research:

• Cancer Research UK in-depth article
• Meet Dr Alicia-Marie Conway, Manchester Cancer Research Centre blog

What will we do next?

The next steps are to improve the turnaround time and sensitivity of the blood test.

A Manchester BRC PhD student will test the performance of the blood test in a larger group of patients who have known tumours and those with CUP.

Further funding has been secured for this ongoing development and translation into clinical practice through the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre at The University of Manchester and the NIHR Rosetrees Trust Advanced Fellowship, awarded to Manchester BRC researcher Dr Natalie Cook.

Why is this research important?

Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy (IIM) is a rare autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and affects muscles, skin and the lungs. It is associated with a high risk of cancer and causes significant disability for patients.

Although IIM is treatable, there is no cure and cancer is the leading cause of death. It affects approximately 10,000 people in the UK and current evidence shows that up to 25% of patients will develop cancer within 3 years of disease onset. Lymphoma, lung, ovarian, bowel and breast cancers are the most commonly associated cancers. The risk of cancer outside 3 years of disease onset is similar to that of the general population.

What did we do?

Building on research from the Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disease (RMD) Theme of the NIHR Manchester BRC, the first international cancer screening guideline was developed for clinical practice as studies had shown 83% of IIM-associated cancers were in their later stages when diagnosed. Detecting cancer early is a priority for improving patient outcomes and survival.

Led by Dr Alexander Oldroyd, from Manchester BRC’s RMD Theme, the ‘Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy-Associated Cancer Screening: an International Myositis Assessment and Clinical Studies Group Initiative’ guideline was published in November 2023.

The guideline groups patients into standard, moderate, or high-risk categories based on their disease type and certain clinical features. Patients can then be screened with a basic test such as a chest X-ray or a more advanced technique such as a CT scan. The timing and frequency of the screening tests are guided by the risk category which helps clinicians to plan appropriately.

The guideline was developed by an international expert group, which included several Manchester BRC researchers which highlights our capability in bringing together experts in musculoskeletal disease, cancer and rare conditions from across different Themes and Clusters.

This guideline could help save lives by enabling earlier cancer diagnosis and could also avoid expensive tests where these are not needed, resulting in healthcare savings to the NHS.

Read this news story to find out more about the guideline.

What will we do next?

The next steps are to test how well the guideline works to identify cancers in patients with IIM from around the world.

Dr Oldroyd is leading the MyoScreen Study (funded by Cancer Research UK), which aims to investigate the role of liquid biopsy – or blood tests – as a method of early cancer detection, to see if these can improve the detection of cancer even further.

There are also plans to support the team in securing further funding to ensure the guideline recommendations are implemented across the UK.

Why is this research important?

Approximately 100,000 people in the UK each year will have a stroke – a serious life-threatening condition that happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off by a blood clot. Strokes affect more than 6,000 people in Greater Manchester each year and those affected are at increased risk of further severe strokes and heart attacks in the following hours, days and weeks.

An innovative bedside genetic test could dramatically improve outcomes for thousands of people in the UK affected by stroke each year. Developed by Manchester researchers in collaboration with Manchester-based company genedrive plc, the test can tell healthcare professionals in approximately 1 hour if stroke patients will benefit from clopidogrel, the current first-line treatment to prevent recurrence.

Clopidogrel prevents platelets (a type of blood cell) from sticking together and forming a dangerous blood clot. However, around 29% of all patients in the UK (and up to 60% in different ethnic groups) have a change in the CYP2C19 gene which reduces clopidogrel’s effectiveness.

Individuals carrying changes in the CYP2C19 gene are also twice as likely to have further strokes when treated with clopidogrel. If these genetic changes can be detected before treatment, then doctors can use an alternative, more effective medicine.

What did we do?

Building on the work by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre’s (BRC) Next Generation Phenotyping and Diagnostics Theme (NGPD), which focuses on making pharmacogenetic testing more accessible to patients to improve clinical outcomes, the rapid point of care genetic test for this gene was developed in collaboration with genedrive.

Using a simple cheek swab, this non-invasive test can be performed at the bedside. From the swab, the Genedrive system interprets the genetic information from the patient and informs the clinician with options on the course of treatment within one hour. Previously, genetic testing for CYP2C19 could only be carried out using specialist laboratories, a process which can take several days. Patients with CYP2C19 variants need to be identified quickly so alternative treatments can be used.

Professor Bill Newman, Rare Conditions Co-Theme Lead at the NIHR Manchester BRC led the pilot project, which has now been recommended for use in the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), representing a major transformation in the way we manage stroke in this country.

Read this news story to find out more about the genetic test.

What will we do next?

Genomic medicine is changing the future of healthcare.

This research is part of the DEVOTE programme, an Innovate UK funded project coordinated by Health Innovation Manchester, led by The University of Manchester and supported by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), which hosts Manchester BRC.

The innovative test was used successfully over 6 months at Manchester Royal Infirmary and the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine at Saint Mary’s Hospital, both part of MFT.

Further evaluation will be carried out at Greater Manchester’s Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU) at Salford Royal Hospital, part of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, which is also a partner Trust of Manchester BRC.

This is an important step in understanding the set-up costs, workforce and other requirements to roll out this innovation wider.

Prof Newman leads the ‘Clinical Validation of Translatable Diagnostic Methodologies Programme’ within Manchester BRC’s NGPD Theme, which will continue to support this research.

Why was industry collaboration so important?

The collaboration with genedrive was crucial for the development of this genetic test to improve stroke treatment outcomes by reducing the likelihood of an individual having a further stroke.

This partnership allowed Manchester BRC to combine its research and clinical expertise – and knowledge of patient populations in Greater Manchester – with genedrive’s genetic technology, to produce an optimised rapid test fit for clinical application. MFT provided access to multiple experts in clinical care and research methods to enable this.

Industry collaboration with genedrive began with the Pharmacogenetics to Avoid Loss of Hearing (PALOH) study which aimed to prevent hearing loss in babies due to a specific antibiotic. Together they identified that rapid genetic testing would have particular value in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to detect a genetic change (present in 1 in 500 babies) and allow prescription of a safe alternative antibiotic in a timely manner. A similar rapid test to detect changes in a different gene to select the most effective treatment for patients after a stroke was then developed and adapted for use in the DEVOTE study.

The continuing success of this strategic partnership demonstrates the importance of collaborations between NHS and industry to deliver real impact for patients and bring commercial benefit. By working together and combining expertise, the team was able to deliver groundbreaking research that has fast tracked the technology to adoption in the NHS.

Dr Gino Miele, Chief Scientific Officer, genedrive plc, said: “The collaboration of our company with the research and clinical team is a shining example of the NHS collaborating with a commercial company, from early product development through to clinical validation in real-world settings, to deliver real improvements in patient outcomes in a cost-effective way.”

Why is this research important?

In Blackpool and other parts of Lancashire, there are areas with high levels of multi-generational social deprivation, with reduced life expectancy and where people experience coexisting conditions including cancer, mental health problems, cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

People in these underserved communities, which include rural and coastal areas, are more likely to have poorer health outcomes than in other parts of the UK.

Research that is designed and conducted to meet the health needs of underserved groups and which addresses barriers to inclusion is key to reducing health inequalities.

What did we do?

Two NHS Trusts in these areas – Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTH) and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTHTr) – joined Manchester BRC as partner organisations in December 2022.

This has enabled residents to access research opportunities, enhanced research networks, promoted new collaborations for patient benefit and provided capacity building opportunities for clinicians to become research-active.

At BTH, the partnership has accelerated the growth of the Trust’s Research and Development department. It has increased capacity and capability by up-skilling clinicians and other healthcare practitioners in translational research. Highlights include:

• The number of NIHR portfolio clinical trial participants has grown to around 2,500 a year, which has included one world-first and multiple UK-firsts to recruit.
• A clinical PhD programme has started, with one project focusing on sepsis and another on angina.
• 5 healthcare professionals have been funded to set up and deliver 4 experimental medicine studies in the Trust’s areas of priority and research strength: Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Respiratory and Optometry.
• 3 studies aligned with Manchester BRC Themes have opened (Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases and Integrative Cardiovascular Medicine), recruiting more than 250 patients collectively.
• The research team have written and were successfully awarded research grants, including a British Heart Foundation grant focusing on cholesterol.

At LTHTr, there have been opportunities for students and doctors to get involved in Manchester BRC projects, providing them with exposure to academic medicine which was not previously available. The partnership has also facilitated greater collaborations across Cancer, Digital Health, Surgery and Respiratory Medicine for research-active consultants. Highlights include:

• A surgical clinical research fellow, David Finch, is being funded with support from Manchester BRC and Rosemere Cancer Charity. David’s PhD research programme is around pre-invasive anal cancer. His work has helped the LTHTr multi-disciplinary surgical team develop a close relationship with the academic surgical department at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, another of Manchester BRC’s 6 partner NHS Trusts. It has also improved LTHTr clinical and patient holistic decision-making for this under-represented patient group.
• A regional translational research group and a surgical academic group have been established, with 4 surgical research fellows undertaking higher degrees within a surgical research faculty.

What will we do next?

Manchester BRC’s partner organisations will continue to work together across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria to prioritise local health needs and reduce health inequalities.

Activities will include:

• Set-up and delivery of more Manchester BRC-led NIHR portfolio studies and Chief Investigator-led trials at LTHTr and BTH
• Creating links with potential community partners to enable more community-based research to take place, serving those with the greatest health needs
• Increasing research capacity and capability across academic career development opportunities.

Why is this important?

Greater Manchester historically has poor cancer outcomes, death rates are around 10% higher than the UK average. Contributing factors include higher levels of obesity, smoking, and socio-economic challenges, as well as lower uptake of national cancer screening programmes compared to other areas.

Talking about cancer isn’t always easy. That’s why it’s so important to engage with communities  in ways that are welcoming and inclusive. This approach helps to  helps to ensure that people shape cancer research at the NIHR Manchester BRC and the NIHR Manchester Clinical Research Facility (CRF) and creates positive changes for people.

What did we do?

Vocal, in partnership with Manchester BRC and Manchester CRF, Healthy Me, Healthy Communities, the LGBT Foundation and people affected by cancer, co-created Cancer & Us: Community Conversations.

Cancer & Us took a unique and inclusive approach by:

• Bringing local communities and researchers together to talk about cancer, prevention and research.
• Building fair and collaborative relationships between Manchester BRC, Manchester CRF, and community partners.
• Raising awareness of research, and having a say in research, amongst minoritised communities.

The programme delivered:

• “Cook & Chat” workshops and engagement focusing on cancer and research.
• Research laboratory visits for patients and carers.
• Programme of Creative workshops exploring Cancer and Data.
• 11 co-produced videos and a Zine (short magazine).
• A social media campaign raising awareness of cancer research and promoting public involvement in cancer research.

Across the programme 111 people engaged through face-to-face activities and events. Of the 62% of participants who shared their demographic information, more than 30% were of Asian, African, Caribbean or Arab heritage. There was a broad range of ages from 25 to over 75 years old.

What will we do next?

A new Community Cancer Insight Group (C.C.I.G) was developed as a result of the project. The group is an innovative approach to Patient and Public Involvement, Engagement and Participation (PPIEP) in the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme and adopts a community-listening approach, where researchers join the group to listen to what matters most to people about cancer-related topics and then use these insights to inform their research.

Cancer & Us also strengthened relationships and created opportunities to support research. Vocal subsequently worked with Healthy Me Healthy Communities (HMHC) to secure funding and deliver a community research priority-setting partnership: Gorton Health Matters. Co-developed with HMHC and the James Lind Alliance, funded by NIHR Clinical Research Network Greater Manchester (now NIHR Research Delivery Network), and supported by the Manchester BRC and CRF, it focused on identifying health and care research priorities in Central/East Manchester through a community-led process, resulting in a Top 10 list of research questions to guide future research projects and funding applications.