Help us fund a pioneering project to advance clinical trial design and improve health

Clinical trials of new treatments for diseases, injuries and life-threatening conditions save many lives. Yet did you know that millions of pounds get wasted every year and many people still suffer unnecessarily because:

- Half of all trials fail to recruit enough people

- People who take part in trials are often different from the target population.

- It is challenging to run trials testing 'new' treatments. No one wants to go in the 'control' comparison group when the new treatment might save or lengthen their lives.

The Solution

The Trials within Cohorts (TwiCs) design is an innovative approach to conducting clinical trials. The TwiCs design is now being used in many clinical areas (eg cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, alzheimer's, depression) to test a wide range of treatments (eg surgery, radiotherapy, nutritional therapy, psychotherapy, acupuncture, treatment by a homeopath).

We are exploring how the TwiCs design is being used and learning from the experiences of trialists and patients in TwiCs trials..

Why is this important?

By improving how trials are designed we can quickly test more promising interventions. This will save millions of pounds wasted when trials fail to recruit and thus help the UK continue to lead the way in clinical research design.

Who am I?

I am Beverley Nickolls, a PhD Research student at Queen Mary University London. I am working with Dr Clare Relton, Professor Xavier Griffin and Dr Ratna Sohanpal to conduct pioneering research to improve how we design and conduct clinical trials, making it easier to develop life-saving and life-improving treatments.

Impact so far

My research so far has already positively influenced the way a large trial in Latin America is recruiting people needing support for mental health conditions, helping reach the people who need treatment the most. This is just the beginning.

What I need

I now have a very exciting opportunity to carry out this project over the next two years. The total costs are £22,500. This includes research expenses, tuition fees and a very modest part-time stipend. I have taken out a loan which will cover £10,500 of the project. I need £12,000 to successfully complete the project.

How you can help us

All donations are very gratefully received. It all makes a real difference to me, but most importantly to the project. In the spirit of that I’d love to offer rewards for some donations:

£150+ donations will be acknowledged in my thesis


£250+ donations from groups or individuals pays for me to speak about my research and your contribution at your group/event.

Please do leave a message of encouragement.

Please email if you would like to receive regular updates on my research. I will let you know how your contribution has made a real difference.

Any questions please email b.nickolls@qmul.ac.uk

With many heartfelt thanks, Bev

Please contribute to this pioneering project and help us advance clinical trial design and improve health.