University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to host a live online event on COVID-19 research as part of International Clinical Trials Day.

International Clinical Trials Day is held each year on 20th May and commemorates the date when the first controlled clinical trial was conducted in 1747. Since then, research has played a vital role in improving healthcare for everyone. Now more than ever clinical research is crucial, as it will help us understand more about COVID-19, and progress the development of potential treatments and effective vaccines in the future. 

Developing drugs and vaccines usually takes a number of years but now internationally and nationally, funding bodies, researchers and regulatory authorities are working tirelessly together to accomplish this process much quicker for COVID-19 research. However, there are still challenges ahead, such as if a suitable vaccine is identified, how quickly can it be mass produced for the global population. Researchers and healthcare professionals from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are working together at the forefront of this urgent research.

The University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals are asking members of the public to submit their questions about COVID-19 research for its panel of experts by 10 June 2020, and they will try to answer as many as they can during the event. To submit your questions please complete this online form. 

If you would like to hear more about how Sheffield is at the centre of this important work, you are invited to join a live discussion with experts from the University and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust about research into COVID-19 at 6pm on Wednesday 24 June.

The event will be hosted by Sheffield Culture Hub, a collaboration between the University of Sheffield, Sheffield City Council and Our Favourite Places, launched to host arts and cultural events online, as well as other activities from around the city to support the cultural and creative sectors during the coronavirus lockdown.