OCTUMI is a collaboration between the Oxford University Department of Psychiatry and the Centre for Statistics in Medicine (CSM). It harnesses the considerable expertise in clinical trials that exists in both research centres to design and conduct clinical trials and to develop trial methodology that is appropriate for research into the causes and treatment of mental illness. A key premise of OCTUMI is that the experience and methodology amassed in other clinical areas can be used successfully to improve the clinical care of people with mental illness.

Background to OCTUMI
The collaboration has developed over the last decade and in November 2007 OCTUMI was awarded full registration as a Clinical Trials Unit by the UK Clinical Research Network, an organisation set up by the Department of Health to support clinical research and facilitate the conduct of clinical trials. Only 26 units across the UK were awarded this status and, of these, OCTUMI is the only one that focuses exclusively on mental illness.

Core focus
A key strength of OCTUMI is the translational* focus on mood disorders whereby promising interventions identified from experimental neuroscience are developed and evaluated in proof-of-concept and Phase III trials. Currently, this translational strategy is supported by the award of an MRC Cooperative Grant into the Neurobiology of Mood Disorder.

* Translational research (also known as bench-to-bedside research) takes discoveries made in the laboratory, develops them and evaluates their potential to become effective new treatments or diagnostic tests.

OCTUMI research groups
Participating groups from within the department of psychiatry include:

• The Mood Disorders Group led by Professors Guy Goodwin and John Geddes incorporating the clinical trials programme.
• The Centre for Research on Eating Disorders at Oxford led by Professor Chris Fairburn.
• The Old Age Psychiatry Group led by Professors Robin Jacoby and Klaus Ebmeier.
• The Oxford Social Psychiatry Group led by Professor Tom Burns.
• The Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry led by Professor Alan Stein.
  

These clinical groups share methodologies and resources and, as standards required for quality assurance evolve, standard operating procedures (SOPs).

As well as conducting its own trials, OCTUMI supports many other trials through:

• Participation in Trial Steering Committees and Data Monitoring Committees

• Training e.g. members of OCTUMI, both clinical and statistical, have been the major contributors to joint training initiatives including a very successful annual Oxford short course on randomised clinical trials.

• Giving advice on programming, trial design and trial management.

• Contributing to initiatives designed to increase awareness of the importance of clinical research and increase the capacity to conduct well-designed clinical trials e.g. contributing to the development of the TriMe website.

OCTUMI members meet regularly with staff from other UKCRN registered CTUs that are based in Oxford to share expertise and ideas. OCTUMI also has strong links with industry - both large pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organisations (CROs) and with small-medium enterprises including P1vital which is based at the Department of Psychiatry.

2008 Health and Social Care Awards

In July 2008 OCTUMI won the NHS Live category in the national Health and Social Care Awards for the development of a clinical service based on the use of weekly text-messages by patients to report changes in mood symptoms. The award recognises the potential for this system to be implemented more widely across the NHS.

Further information about the award can be found here:

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