The Diabetes Trials Unit (DTU) is a registered UK Clinical Research Collaboration Clinical (UKCRC) registered Clinical Trials Unit. Professor Rury Holman founded the unit in 1985 with the aim of helping to identify new and improved methods to diagnose, monitor and treat people with diabetes, cardiometabolic or related disorders.
Our trials range from proof-of-concept and proof-of-efficacy translational studies (Phase IIA/B), to large-scale Phase III/IV randomised clinical outcome trials of therapeutic interventions or medical devices that can change clinical practice. We have a vast breadth of experience in designing, conducting and analysing clinical trials and our research has helped to shape how diabetes is treated. We also undertake major modelling and statistical programmes to fully utilise the data available from our studies, with a particular emphasis on modelling diabetes and cardiovascular disease processes.
We are a founder member of the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), which is a division within the University of Oxford’s Radcliffe Department of Medicine. OCDEM a pioneering centre combining clinical care, research and education whose staff are working to discover new treatments or technologies that could make a real difference to people living with diabetes and other endocrine or metabolic disorders. Many of DTU’s early-phase clinical trials are conducted in the purpose-built OCDEM Clinical Research Unit (CRU) facility.
We work in partnership with, collaborate or receive funding from the NHS, charitable organisations, public funding bodies, academic institutions and industry. We welcome interest from academia, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and device manufacturers. If you would like to submit a proposal for a research collaboration please complete our Collaboration Request Form and return it to dtu@dtu.ox.ac.uk.
We prioritise the trials according to their potential impact on patient care or disease prevention, and on our areas of clinical and academic interest. Our main research priorities are diagnostics, clinical trials of investigational medicinal products and medical devices, as well as psychological and behavioural studies related to diabetes, endocrinology or metabolism.
We are able to provide a modular approach, offering all or a selection of the following services: