UCL will combine health records, genomic data, and medical imaging from more than 60 data sources covering 5 million people to build a single research platform linking universities, NHS hospitals, and public health agencies. This matters because health data in the UK is scattered across separate NHS trusts, GP surgeries, and research centres, making it nearly impossible to track patients across the full cycle from genetic discovery to hospital treatment to long-term outcomes. CHAPTER will integrate these fragments for the first time, allowing researchers to follow the same person from a genomic finding through clinical trials and into routine care. If successful, the platform could accelerate the translation of fundamental biological discoveries—such as new genetic markers for disease—into changes in clinical practice and public health policy. It would also support more efficient clinical trials by identifying eligible patients across multiple hospitals, and help monitor the safety and effectiveness of treatments in real-world populations. The project is not about a single breakthrough; it is about building the infrastructure that makes many future breakthroughs possible.
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CHAPTER's host institution, UCL, is part of an established Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC), which brings together university and NHS organisations. This partnership lies at heart of the vision of CHAPTER. UCL Partners is the only AHSC with a system wide partnership model (n=14 NHS Trusts), and is responsible for the primary, secondary and tertiary care for a population of about 5 million people. UCLP hosts the largest concentration of Biomedical Research Centres (3 at UCL: UCLH, Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital and Moorfields Eye Hospital and two Biomedical Research Units (UCL: dementia; QMUL: cardiovascular). We will align our research with this significant (£165m) NIHR investment. Bringing together three of UCLP's academic partners (UCL, LSHTM and QMUL), and the HPA, CHAPTER will integrate for the first time multiple areas of critical mass (>60 data sources and >30 cross Faculty research groups with informatics expertise) in order to deliver our vision of driving the next generation of population wide research for patient benefit. With support from the MRC led funding consortium, UCL will commit a further £4m to CHAPTER, providing sustainable posts (2 Chairs, 2 senior lecturers, 2 lecturers) and associated costs. Our NHS partners are investing significantly in new integration systems (across primary and secondary care), to drive improvements in the quality and safety of clinical care Page 3 of 16 Date Saved: 27/02/2012 14:56:26 Date Printed: 27/02/2012 15:28:54 Technical Summary and this will enhance our ability to deliver impact across the whole translational cycle: from biological discovery including genomics and medical imaging, through innovative trials to improving clinical practice, service delivery, patient outcomes and public health.
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