Investigators from the University of Cambridge and the UK Renal Registry have been awarded funding of £1.4 million for an ambitious and innovative trial of vitamin D in dialysis patients.

Led by Dr Thomas Hiemstra from the University of Cambridge, SIMPLIFIED will enroll 4,200 dialysis patients over three years, randomised to cholecalciferol or standard care.

Funded under the NIHR HTA efficient designs initiative, the trial will employ a novel and innovative approach to follow-up and data capture, including real-time data transfer from the UK Renal Data Collaboration direct to the Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit, and harnessing a variety of electronic healthcare records to limit the burden on participants and centres. Clinical trials are very costly, and the pioneering methodology employed in SIMPLIFIED has the potential to change the way in which clinical trials are conducted within the NHS, making trials more efficient and affordable.