TRANSFORM

What is TRANSFORM?

Prostate Cancer UK is launching a £42 million research programme – the TRANSFORM trial – to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer, so one day all men at risk are invited for regular tests to find aggressive cancers in time for a cure.

It will be the biggest trial in prostate cancer screening for 20 years and has been developed in consultation, and with the backing of, the NHS, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and the UK Government, who have committed to contribute £16 million. The study is also being supported by founding partners Movember and the Freddie Green and Family Charitable Foundation, in addition to other significant donations from philanthropic organisations.

The TRANSFORM trial, involving hundreds of thousands of men, will compare the most promising tests and provide definitive evidence about the best way to screen for prostate cancer. This is urgently needed. 12,000 men die of prostate cancer each year. It is the most common cancer in the UK without a screening programme, even though it usually has no symptoms until it has spread and become incurable.

With decades of research-funding experience, we’ve brought together the best researchers globally and engaged independent experts to make sure the trial is robust enough and can provide the insight needed to revolutionise prostate cancer diagnosis.

Following on from our announcement in November that the trial is taking place, we can now share more details of the trial – including the lead researchers working on the study and the tests being investigated.

Meet the researchers leading TRANSFORM

Professor Hashim Ahmed, Imperial College London

Professor Hashim Ahmed, Chair of Clinical Urology at Imperial College London, is a researcher and clinician who studies how biopsies, imaging techniques and treatments can be improved for men with prostate cancer.

Professor Rhian Gabe, Queen Mary University of London

Professor Rhian Gabe, Professor of Biostatistics and Clinical Trials at Queen Mary University of London, is a statistician with expertise in clinical trials as well as cancer screening, prevention and early detection.

Professor Mark Emberton, University College London

Professor Mark Emberton, Professor of Interventional Oncology at University College London, works to improve diagnosis and treatment for men using new imaging techniques and less-invasive treatments.

Professor Rakesh Heer, Imperial College London,

Professor Rakesh Heer, Chair of Urology at Imperial College London, is a surgeon and researcher with a focus on urological cancers and expertise spanning stem cells and basic biology to robotic surgery and clinical trials.

Professor Caroline Moore, University College London

Professor Caroline Moore, NIHR Research Professor and Head of Urology at University College London, specialises in using MRI scanning to detect and treat prostate cancer, and personalising men's journeys from screening to treatment.

Professor Rosalind Eeles, Institute of Cancer Research

Professor Rosalind Eeles, Professor of Oncogenetics at the Institute of Cancer Research, is a geneticist who has helped find more than 160 genetic differences that contribute to a man’s risk of prostate cancer.

Find out more about TRANSFORM and the Bio-Digital Twin Biobank

In July, two lead researchers hosted webinars to share further details of TRANSFORM to clinicians and researchers across the UK.

Professor Hashim Ahmed outlined TRANSFORM's aims and design. He sought expressions of interest from primary and secondary care colleagues who would like to be involved in the trial as potential recruitment centres. Aspects of site suitability, such as local hospital capacity and the level of PSA screening in the local community were discussed.

Professor Rakesh Heer introduced the TRANSFORM Bio-Digital Twin Biobank, which will form a unique repository of samples from consenting trial participants alongside MRI images, clinical and demographic data. Professor Heer is keen to hear from research colleagues who can see immediate or future uses of the Biobank in their work.