First results announced from trial of blood test for cancer
01 June 2026
Publish date: 18 May 2026
This week UCLH celebrates International Clinical Trials Day – a day held every year on 20th May to recognise and thank everyone involved in research, including patients who take part in research, and all individuals and teams involved in delivering research.
20th May is the anniversary of the first day of a study in 1747 by James Lind – a ship’s surgeon in the British Royal Navy – which tested treatments for scurvy among sailors with the disease. Lind’s study is considered one of the first randomised clinical trials.
Research is integral to UCLH’s mission, with hundreds of studies typically recruiting at any one time. Research at UCLH is underpinned by National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) infrastructure.
Among this infrastructure, UCLH hosts one of the largest NIHR Biomedical Research Centres in the country. Anyone can use our public database of studies called Find a Study to find research which is relevant to them.
Find out more about research at UCLH.
Activities at UCLH for International Clinical Trials Day 2026 will start on Tuesday 19th May, with our Cancer Clinical Trials Unit (CCTU) holding a stall on the ground floor of the Macmillan Cancer Centre on Huntley Street between 10am and 2pm. Interactive activities will aim to make clinical trials more accessible.
One research project that the Cancer Clinical Trials Unit is launching is exploring how aspects of clinical trials can be decentralised, enabling more patients to receive parts of their care closer to home - whether at their GP practice, local hospital, or through community healthcare teams.
The initiative aims to improve the patient experience by making trial participation more convenient and accessible, while supporting the NHS Long Term Plan's shift from hospital-based to community-based care.
On Wednesday 20th May, activities will continue in the atrium of University College Hospital on Euston Road between 10:30am and 2:30pm, with stalls organised by the NIHR UCLH Clinical Research Facility (CRF), the UCLH Agile Research Delivery Team, and our BioResource team.
CRF team members will share opportunities to get involved in research – highlighting the national Be Part of Research campaign from the NIHR, and the CRF’s registry of healthy volunteers willing to be contacted about taking part in health research.
More than 300 people have already joined the registry, which was set up in 2025. The CRF aims to have as diverse a set of people as possible on the registry. Those on the registry are emailed about any Healthy Volunteer Studies taking place within the facility.
The Agile Research Delivery Team will run a quiz, bust myths around research, and offer stall visitors the chance to play a game which shows how randomisation in research works.
The team, which supports trial across multiple specialties across UCLH, will also be highlighting the kinds of research studies they have been working on.
The BioResource team will highlight the Improving Black Health Outcomes NIHR BioResource – a health research programme focussed on improving our knowledge and understanding of health conditions and their unique impacts on UK Black communities.
The team will also be sharing information about a project called D-CYPHR (standing for ‘DNA for Children and Young People’s Health Resource’). D-CYPHR aims to uncover new treatments for children and young people based on the study of DNA donated by volunteers up to the age of 15.
Research Open Day
Celebrations this week come ahead of our 2026 Research Open Day, happening on Thursday 9th July from 12noon to 4:30pm at University College Hospital on Euston Road.
At the open day, patients, staff and the public are invited to explore the pioneering research and innovation happening across UCLH and UCL. The event will feature more than 50 interactive stalls, hospital tours, and educational talks for local schools.
