The DETERMINE trial

A timeline to treating the 100th patient

By Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development

28 February 2025

The DETERMINE project team collecting the 2022 Bionow Healthcare Project of the Year Award

Since launching in December 2021, the DETERMINE trial has hit many milestones on the way to providing much needed treatment options for people with rare cancers, including treating its 100th patient.

On Rare Disease Day, we look back at some of those key achievements. 

Rare and less common cancers

Rare and less common cancers are defined as any outside of the four most common types of breast, prostate, lung and bowel.

47%

of cancer diagnoses in the UK are for rare and less common cancers.

55%

of deaths in the UK are from rare and less common cancers.

Despite these stats, there are still far fewer treatments available for people with rare and less common cancers. 

The DETERMINE trial aims to address that by exploring whether drugs that are approved to treat some cancers could treat others, including rare types.

Open to adults, teenagers and children, patients who have undergone genomic profiling are matched to drugs that target the same genetic alterations to treat other cancers.

This is the UK’s first national precision medicine trial for rare cancers, providing new treatment options for those who may not have any left. 

Cancer Research UK researchers working in a lab

December 2021

The partnership begins

Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development and the University of Manchester, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, sign the agreement to launch the DETERMINE trial.

Through Cancer Research Horizons, Roche Products Limited joins as the founding pharmaceutical partner, providing seven of its drugs across five treatment arms.  

December 2021

The partnership begins

Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development and the University of Manchester, in collaboration with the University of Birmingham and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, sign the agreement to launch the DETERMINE trial.

Through Cancer Research Horizons, Roche Products Limited joins as the founding pharmaceutical partner, providing seven of its drugs across five treatment arms.  

November 2022

The trial opens

DETERMINE opens for recruitment at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, the trial’s lead site. 

An exterior shot of the Christie Hospital in Manchester

The Christie Hospital in Manchester

The Christie Hospital in Manchester

December 2022

Novartis joins the trial

The second major pharmaceutical partner, Novartis, joins the trial, providing one of its drugs in the first instance, with more expected to follow. 

A Cancer Research UK researcher working in a lab

March 2023

First patient dosed

Chief Investigator Matthew Krebs and his team at the Christie dose the first patient on DETERMINE.

Dr Matthew Krebs, Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Christie and Clinical Senior Lecturer in Experimental Cancer Medicine at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute

Dr Matthew Krebs, Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at the Christie and Clinical Senior Lecturer in Experimental Cancer Medicine at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute

Dr Matthew Krebs

March 2023

Bionow Award winner

The DETERMINE trial takes home the 2022 Bionow Healthcare Project of the Year Award, recognising its innovative multi-drug pan-cancer platform. 

A group of people in black tie collecting an award on stage at a ceremony

The DETERMINE team collecting their Bionow Award for Healthcare Project of the Year

The DETERMINE team collecting their Bionow Award for Healthcare Project of the Year

June 2023

DETERMINE joins PRIME-ROSE

The Centre for Drug Development and the University of Manchester become associate partners in the European Commission’s project, Precision Cancer Medicine Repurposing System Using Pragmatic Clinical Trials (PRIME-ROSE), aggregating data from DETERMINE with similar trials across Europe to enhance patient access. 

A map of Europe labelling trials affiliated with PRIME-ROSE: POP, Portugal; PROGRESS, Ireland; DETERMINE, UK; megaMOST and MOSTplus, France; DRUP, Netherlands; IMPRESS-Norway, Norway; ProTarget, Denmark; FOCUSE and MEGALiT, Sweden; FINPROVE, Finland; PANTUMOR-LT, Lithuania; ESTOPRET, Estonia.

The trials across Europe that are part of the PRIME-ROSE project

The trials across Europe that are part of the PRIME-ROSE project

October 2023

First sites in Scotland and Northern Ireland open

The Beatson Hospital in Glasgow and Belfast City Hospital open for recruitment, with 13 total sites open across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

An exterior shot of the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, Scotland

The Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, Scotland

The Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, Scotland

An exterior shot of Belfast City Hospital Cancer Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast City Hospital Cancer Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast City Hospital Cancer Centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland

November 2023

Scrip Awards finalist

DETERMINE is a finalist for the Community Partnership of the Year at the 2023 Scrip Awards.

A group of people in black tie at an awards ceremony

The DETERMINE team at the 2023 Scrip Awards ceremony

The DETERMINE team at the 2023 Scrip Awards ceremony

March 2024

Recruiting in all four UK nations

The Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff opens for recruitment, taking the total number of sites to 19 across all four nations of the UK, accelerating equity of access to innovation for all patients in England and the devolved nations.

An exterior shot of the Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, Wales

The Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, Wales

The Velindre Hospital in Cardiff, Wales

August 2024

Cancer Research UK grants Experimental Medicine Award

Cancer Research UK awards £1.5m to the University of Birmingham and the University of Manchester, including Translational Lead Gary Middleton, for DETERMINE to fund an initial two-year translational research programme. 

Gary Middleton, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Birmingham

Gary Middleton, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Birmingham

Professor Gary Middleton

October 2024

First teenage patient treated

DETERMINE’s first teenage and young adult (TYA) patient is treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital, overseen by Paediatric Lead Lynley Marshall. 

Dr Lynley Marshall, Consultant in Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology Drug Development at the Royal Marsden

Dr Lynley Marshall, Consultant in Paediatric and Adolescent Oncology Drug Development at the Royal Marsden

Dr Lynley Marshall

November 2024

100th patient treated

DETERMINE’s 100th patient is treated at the Christie. Pamela Garner-Jones, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2021, matched to a treatment on DETERMINE through the TARGET National study, a molecular profiling programme that identifies mutations in certain genes.

Since receiving treatment through DETERMINE, Pamela's tumours have shrunk by almost two thirds and her symptoms have resolved, giving her a much better quality of life.

A photo of DETERMINE patient Pamela Garner-Jones during an interview with Sky News

Pamela Garner-Jones

Pamela Garner-Jones

December 2024

Data analysis underway

Led by Statistical Lead Lucinda Billingham, the statistical team begins analysis on the first efficacy data across 25 different tumour types

Lucinda Billingham, Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and Director of Biostatistics at the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit

Lucinda Billingham, Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and Director of Biostatistics at the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit

Professor Lucinda Billingham

February 2025

The trial continues . . .

As of February 2025, DETERMINE is open at 24 hospitals across the UK and has recruited over 130 patients. As this landmark trial progresses, more pharmaceutical partners join and the platform grows, we will continue to see the impact on patients in need of new treatment options.

A child and a woman grinning at each other, their foreheads touching

How to take part

1. Speak to your doctor

The doctor will talk to you about the trial.

If you're a patient at a participating site, you'll be given a patient information sheet.

2. Make a decision

You'll be able to ask any questions and think about whether you want to take part.

If you do, you'll be asked for consent to share your data to assess if the trial is suitable for you.

3. Referral

Your doctor will contact a suitable participating site where the trial is taking place.

They'll share your clinical data with the site and discuss your eligibility. 

Find out more
TopBuilt with Shorthand