Facilities and Study Support

The Grampian Biorepository is a fully accredited tissue bank. It provides academic and industry researchers with a range of high quality tumour and normal specimens and clinical data obtained from patients across Scotland.

The Clinical Trials Pharmacy, based in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), has 2 dedicated pharmacists, a co-ordinator, who is an Accuracy Checking Technician (ACT), and 2 support workers. The Clinical Trials team supports approximately 170 commercial and non-commercial trials in Oncology, Haematology and various other specialities including Dermatology, Cardiology, Clinical Genetics, Clinical Pharmacology. Trial intravenous chemotherapy is supplied from the Aseptic pharmacy unit at ARI. Investigational Medicinal Products (IMP’s) are stored in the ARI Clinical Trials Unit, which is temperature controlled.

For general enquiries please contact gram.pharmacytrials@nhs.scot.

The Paediatric Trials Pharmacy is based in Royal Aberdeen Children Hospital (RACH). The Team has a dedicated pharmacist and a dedicated technician. Support for the oncology trials is provided by the clinical pharmacists and dispensary team at RACH. Trial intravenous chemotherapy is supplied from the Aseptic pharmacy unit at ARI. IMPs for non-oncology paediatric studies are stored at the ARI Clinical Trials Unit. The Scottish Children’s Research Network Pharmacist is based at RACH and supports study feasibility and set-up of both non-commercial and commercial studies.

For general enquiries please contact gram.pharmacytrials@nhs.scot.

Pharmacy should be contacted as early as possible during the design of your study.

NHS Grampian laboratories hold UKAS accreditation for Clinical Biochemistry, Haematology, Immunology, Medical Genetics, Microbiology/Virology and Pathology. Contact: CRF Manager (mariella.dalessandro@nhs.scot).

The University of Aberdeen Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health holds ISO 9001:2015 certification for research into the role of nutrition in disease. 

GRO can provide evidence of accreditation and certification data and sit on the Laboratory Medicine Quality Assurance Committee.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (NSS) laboratories on the Foresterhill Campus also hold CPA accreditation.

Contact: Quality Assurance Manager based in R&D gram.randd@nhs.scot.

The medical imaging facilities at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary combine a high quality, comprehensive clinical service with a record of innovation and academic excellence.

It is well equipped, with state of the art MRI, CT, Gamma cameras, SPECT/CT and PET/CT machines and is supported by access to extensive academic and clinical image analysis and image development expertise.

It also has a cyclotron and full radio-chemistry facilities, a counting lab and a radio-nuclide therapy service.

MRI

The Imaging Facilities co-ordinator is Mrs Teresa Morris (e-mail: t.morris@abdn.ac.uk; Tel: 01224 438363). For additional information please visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/research/abic.

PET

For information, please contact Dr Roger Staff (e-mail: roger.staff@nhs.scot; Tel: 01224 552239) or visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/research/abic/facilities-106.php.

DEXA scanners

For details please contact Mrs Lana Gibson, Senior Radiographer (e-mail: lana.gibson@nhs.scot; Tel: 01224 550820) or visit Bone Densitometry Service.

Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre (ABIC)

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/research/abic/

Provides state of the art imaging facilities and expertise.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/genomics/

This centre provides next generation sequencing (NGS) capacity and other genome enabling technologies for translational and clinical research.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) invests through NHS Research Scotland (NRS) infrastructure to support research studies in Scotland. In Grampian this means eligible studies can have access to a cohort of trained research nurses.

Access to nurse support is centralised through the Lead Research Nurse (vicky.taylor3@nhs.scot or 01224 555171).

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/iahs/facilities/grampian-data-safe-haven.php

This service facilitates safe access to population health data for research, whilst adhering to the highest standards of security and governance and protecting patient confidentiality

DaSH is a member of the Scottish National Network of Safe Havens and supports The Farr Institute.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/hsru/what-we-do/trials-unit/

This is a registered clinical trials unit offering support from experienced trial and data managers and statistical staff. ChaRT engages with investigators at the study design stage, to ensure adequate CTU support and appropriate funding for each trial.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/

This unit supports research to evaluate healthcare interventions, improve research practice and design better healthcare.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/hsru/

This Unit manages an internationally recognised portfolio of health services research focusing on Health Care assessment and Improving Experiences of Care.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/iahs/research/medical-statistics/

Medical Statistics provide methodological support and statistical consultancy on a range of study designs (inc., case-control, cohort, observational, RCTs).

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/it/services/data-management/

The Research Applications and Data Management team provides assistance with database design, web applications, random population surveys, case-control designs. They can also help with data- cleaning and transfer to a more manageable format.

https://www.abdn.ac.uk/it/

The IT services guarantee a range of research support, including high performance computation facilities, specialist software, data networking and storage.