New podcast episodes on the Octopus trial in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
19 Oct 2023
The first of four Trial Talk episodes focusing on the Octopus clinical trial has been released today!
Octopus is a new clinical trial for people living with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which is designed and run by the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL (MRC CTU at UCL). Thanks to its multi-arm multi-stage platform design, Octopus has the potential to transform the way treatments for progressive MS are tested. The trial is now open in the UK and will be recruiting participants for the next few years.
The podcast mini-series will explore the trial from different perspectives by talking to neurologists, MS experts and people affected by MS.
The first episode covers the treatment and research landscape of MS and the challenges of treating progressive MS. It features Jeremy Chataway, a neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery at UCLH, Professor of Neurology at UCL, and co-lead of the neurodegenerative diseases programme at the MRC CTU at UCL, who is leading the Octopus trial. We also hear from Dawn Lyle, Lead Research MS Nurse, and Matthew Justin, MS Specialist, who are based at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurologic Clinic in Edinburgh.
Part 2 of the series explores the Octopus trial in depth. Professor Jeremy Chataway, lead investigator of Octopus, discusses its novel design, the treatments it will test, and the criteria for people to take part. He also explains the data researchers will collect and analyse to find out if a treatment is working.
In Part 3, MS experts Dawn Lyle and Matthew Justin walk us through the journey that trial participants take when taking part in Octopus, from how to register your interest in the trial, to what to expect on your first visit.
In the final episode, patient representative Susan Scott shares her involvement in the Octopus trial and highlights the benefits of including people affected by MS in all aspects of the trial.
The Trial Talk podcast is hosted and produced by Charlotte Hartley and Berta Terre-Torras, our Science Communications Officers. For questions or feedback on the series, message us on Twitter @MRCCTU, LinkedIn, or send us an email.
If you enjoy these episodes, don’t forget to subscribe to our SoundCloud channel for more content (click the “Follow” icon).
Further information:
- MS Society UK website
- UK MS Register website
- Octopus website
- Octopus trial page (MRC CTU at UCL)
- Trial Talk Octopus podcast playlist (SoundCloud)