Changing lives through clinical trials
Today is International Clinical Trials Day (20 May) and a chance to celebrate the patients, families and research teams behind every step forward in modern medicine.
Clinical trials are how we find better ways to care for the people we look after. They help us test new treatments, prevent illness earlier and improve outcomes for people living with a range of conditions.
At Barts Health NHS Trust, research is embedded in how we care for our patients in north east London. In 2024/25, more than 31,700 people took part in research across 450 studies.
Below, we share three patients stories highlighting the difference taking part in a trial has made to their lives and the future of medical practice.
Paul: a new treatment, and time he didn’t think he’d have
Paul Goodfellow was diagnosed with bladder cancer in December 2019, just three months after retiring. He had three rounds of chemotherapy and major surgery, including having his bladder removed. For a year, his scans came back clear.
Then, in late 2021, Paul was told his cancer had spread. For people with advanced bladder cancer, the standard treatment - platinum-based chemotherapy - had barely changed in 40 years and average life expectancy was around a year.
I was devastated, my whole family was. I was offered a limited amount of chemotherapy cycles which would hopefully halt the spread but would have a short-term effect. It appeared to be the only option for me.
Then his Macmillan nurse rang. She told him about the EV-302 trial led by Professor Tom Powles. The trial was testing a new combination of two drugs - an immunotherapy and a targeted antibody therapy - against standard chemotherapy. Paul said yes.
Thanks to this trial, I feel really well. I’m getting to spend time with my wife, family and dog that I didn’t think I’d have. I’m still walking around three miles a day and going on campervan trips with my wife and sometimes our children and grandchildren join us. I could not have envisaged the things we are doing and have done since the awful news we received in 2021.
The EV-302 trial doubled survival time for people with advanced bladder cancer from around 16 months on chemotherapy to nearly 32 months on the new combination. Almost a third of people on the trial saw their cancer disappear completely. In August 2025, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved the treatment for use on the NHS in England. Around 1,200 people every year are now eligible - the first major change in first-line treatment for advanced bladder cancer in four decades.
Antoinette: protecting her baby through immunisation
Every year in the UK, around 30,000 children under five are admitted to hospital with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). For most babies, RSV is a mild cold. For some, it leads to bronchiolitis or pneumonia and a stay on a paediatric ward. It causes around 30 infant deaths in the UK each year.
Antoinette Martin, a trainee GP from Mile End, knew this first-hand. The winter before her son Raffy was born, her daughter Eden had been admitted to The Royal London Hospital with RSV.
Eden developed a cough. By the fifth day, she was getting worse, really trying hard to breathe and going blue. We drove her to The Royal London and the team there put her on oxygen straightaway. She was unwell for another five days before she came home. The team looking after her were fantastic.
When she heard about the HARMONIE trial running at Barts Health led by Dr Mildred Iro , Antoinette enrolled Raffy. The trial was testing a single-dose immunisation called nirsevimab to protect babies and young children from severe RSV.
It was really easy to take part. I filled in an online form and within a day or so, the study team had already contacted me. The study team was really friendly. It was my first experience of taking part in a clinical trial and it was definitely positive.
HARMONIE recruited more than 8,000 babies across the UK, France and Germany. The results were striking: nirsevimab reduced hospital admissions for RSV by 83%, and severe cases by more than 75%. In September 2025, the NHS began rolling nirsevimab out across the UK to protect around 9,000 of our most vulnerable babies every year.
Read more about Antoinette’s story
Kay: a lifeline at the right time
Triple negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. It affects around 8,000 women in the UK each year, often younger women, and is more common in Black women. Until recently, the main treatment was chemotherapy alone. For women whose tumour didn't fully respond to chemotherapy, there was a 40 to 50% chance of the disease returning, even after surgery.
Kay Kingham, a dentist and mother of two from north east London, was diagnosed with stage III triple negative breast cancer, with her tumour in both her breast and her lymph nodes.
I was so frightened when I found out I had triple negative breast cancer, knowing only limited treatments were possible, and seeing day by day how fast the cancer was growing. It was very hard breaking the news to my family. My parents were devastated their only daughter was ill. It was especially difficult for my sons.
Kay joined the KEYNOTE-522 trial led by Professor Peter Schmid. The trial tested an immunotherapy alongside standard chemotherapy. By the time Kay went in for surgery, she had no detectable cancer left.
I am so thankful that this trial was available at the right time for me and that I was eligible for it. It felt like a lifeline and an incredible opportunity to be offered the chance of a new treatment.
Long-term results from the trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that 87 in every 100 women treated with the new combination were alive five years later, compared with 82 in every 100 on chemotherapy alone. In 2022, the NHS rolled out the treatment which is expected to benefit up to 1,600 women per year affected by high risk triple negative breast cancer.
Read more about Kay’s story
How you can take part in research
Paul, Antoinette and Kay are just three of the thousands of people who help shape the future of medicine each year. Every treatment we use today is here because someone, somewhere, said yes to taking part in research.
To find out about more about getting involved in research, visit Be Part of Research.
Events for International Clinical Trials Day are taking place all week - see the latest activities on our dedicated schedule.