The QSCTC had its official launch event in Queen Square on 10th June 2025, with speakers from the Centre's key stakeholders:
• Professor Michael Hanna (Director, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and consultant neurologist at NHNN),
• Professor Karl Peggs (UCLH Director of Research and Director of the NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC),
• Dr. Chris Turner (Divisional Clinical Director and consultant neurologist at UCLH National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN),
• Dr. Vino Vivekanandam (QSCTC Lead and consultant neurologist at NHNN),
• Professor Mary Reilly (Professor of Neurology, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and consultant neurologist at NHNN).
Professor Michael Hanna
Professor Karl Pegg
Dr Chris Turner
Dr. Vino Vivekanandam
Professor Mary Reilly
QSCTC team
Speaking at the launch event, Dr Vivekanandam said: “We are excited to embrace an era of treatment opportunities for diseases in neurosciences and provide localised expertise in neuroscience clinical trials. We look forward to working closely with industry and academic partners.”
QSCTC supports trials across Queen Square, with a focus on later phase trials. The QSCTC is now delivering a pipeline of clinical trials in 2025 with a plan and aim to expand to support all late phase trials across Queen Square.
The Centre complements the NIHR UCLH LWENC Clinical Research Facility (CRF), which has a focus on early-stage trials. The centre is supported by UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology (ION), BRC Translational Neuroscience theme (BRC-TN), and UCLH National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN). The QSCTC works closely with LWENC-CRF, Research Directorate/JRO as well as the Dementia Research Centre.
The QSCTC aims to provide PIs with advice and direction for clinical trials, early contact for review and direction, and to liaise and work closely with ION, NHNN, UCLH/UCL Joint Research Office (JRO), BRC and the NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN) in setting clinical trial strategies, priorities and targets.
The centre was conceived after a review and 2021 report by ION Divisional Heads Professor Mary Reilly and Professor Rob Brownstone highlighting areas of need in clinical trials across Queen Square. Work commenced in March 2023 with mapping and review of processes involved in clinical research across Queen Square. Pump-prime funding enabling launch of the centre was secured by a by a successful competitive £3.5m bid led by Professor Michael Hanna to the UCL-UCLH strategic fund.
The centre has a core team led by QSCTC lead Dr Vino Vivekanandam, consultant neurologist at NHNN.
Links
- Queen Square Clinical Trial Centre (QSCTC)
- NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facility (CRF)
- NIHR UCLH Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
- BRC Translational Neuroscience theme (BRC-TN )
- NIHR Research Delivery Network (RDN)
- UCLH National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN)
- UCLH/UCL Joint Research Office (JRO)
