About us


The UK Organ Donation and Transplantation Research Network (UKODTRN is an all-organ initiative between clinical, patient, lay, and scientific representatives. It strives to support research in organ donation and transplantation by encouraging and developing strong collaborations for patient benefit.

The UKODTRN was established in early 2020 by founding organisations NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), the British Transplantation Society (BTS), and Kidney Research UK , and is a solid organ focussed collaboration. 

Network partners

 

Our aim is to position the UK as the premier international location to perform high quality organ donation and transplantation research. One of our primary goals is to facilitate equal access to the benefits of research participation to organ donors and solid organ transplant patients across the UK, regardless of geographical location or demographics. 

With an established executive team, a Board with representation from a wide range of expertise in UK transplantation, and a strong patient and public group of over one hundred people, the network is moving to the next level of delivery. 

Who we are

Our work


So far the network has:

  • established links in every transplanting centre across the UK and in some referring hospitals.
  • supported the design of a UK-Transplant Recipient Bioresource to be progressed by QUOD.
  • led with NHSBT to link data from national datasets to the transplant registry, providing outcomes on transplant recipients beyond those that are transplant-specific to improve UK transplant epidemiology research.
  • launched a major project to close the knowledge gap by informing patients and their families about research in an understandable way to create a world leading patient and public research-aware community.

Our value


The UKODTRN supports research in organ donation by: 

  • bringing a collaborative mindset to UK donation and transplantation research, where research priorities will be driven by patients and decided together by the community.
  • acting as a platform for people to share ideas with a view to establishing collaborative multi-centre studies.
  • providing a conduit between industry and clinicians to facilitate discussions about clinical trials in the UK. We help connect the latest commercial trials and studies with centres across the UK.
  • strengthening the role of patients and public members in defining research and delivering it.

Studies will be delivered based on these priorities, on a national level, to ensure effective completion of these trials. The aim is to move away from single centre to collaborative studies to deliver better research.