Observing Comets

Professor of Oncology at the University of Birmingham, UK and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and is currently working on an important study examining the importance of using hormone therapy for prostate cancer. Professor James holds degrees in Medicine and Immunology from University College London and a Ph.D. from Imperial College in Cell Cycle Biology. He received postgraduate training in London, Brussels and Tokyo and is a Fellow of the Royal Colleges of Radiologists and Physicians. His work focuses on evaluating and improving clinical trials to achieve better patient outcomes. It evaluates new treatment approaches for both bladder and prostate cancer through large, multicenter clinical trials and actively collaborates with laboratory groups to explore the underlying mechanisms at play in trials. Clinical trials are the ultimate means of translating scientific advances into real gains in patient survival, or improvements in related outcomes such as prevention of unpleasant complications. It requires the cooperation of many (often thousands) of participants, both as patients and in the clinical teams that recruit and run the studies. Thus, good design is the key to optimizing the conduct of experiments to increase the return on investment.