The Centre for Experimental Cancer Medicine (CECM) supports the delivery of early-phase cancer studies, bringing together an academically led Trials Team and a Cancer Research Delivery Group to develop, run and deliver clinical trials for patients at Barts Health NHS Trust. The Centre specialises in innovative, biomarker-driven trial designs, including adaptive studies and perioperative trials using serial biopsies. Its focus is on translating preclinical research into the clinic and using carefully designed trials to deepen understanding of new treatments.
Thousands of people with advanced bladder cancer across the UK can now receive three rather than six chemotherapy cycles after research led by Professor Thomas Powles and team leads to a change to NHS treatment guidelines. For patients, this means fewer toxic side effects and a better quality of life during treatment.
Update 12 February 2026
A new clinical trial led by Professor Thomas Powles at Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, has shown that a blood test to detect tumour DNA could help doctors decide which patients with bladder cancer are most likely to benefit from further treatment after surgery. The new approach improved survival in those identified as high-risk while safely sparing low-risk patients from unnecessary side effects.
Conferences 22 October 2025
The new combination treatment offers hope to thousands of people living with advanced urothelial cancer. The clinical trials, led by Professor Tom Powles, showed that overall survival rates were almost twice as long with this new treatment compared to the current standard treatment.
General News 21 August 2025
Prof Tom Powles and Prof Peter Schmid announced practice-changing results at ESMO 2024
Conferences 16 September 2024
To mark International Clinical Trials Day 2024, we’re spotlighting some of our clinical trial work and how it is helping to transform the lives of people with cancer.
General News 20 May 2024
Professor Powles has been recognised for his transformative clinical work delivering a life-extending treatment for severe bladder cancer.
General News 2 May 2024
Professor Tom Powles and team reveal first successful adjuvant therapy for kidney cancer in 50 years.
Conferences 19 April 2024
Professor Powles has been recognised for his transformative clinical work delivering a life-extending treatment for severe bladder cancer.
General News 15 December 2023
Clinical trial results from BCI and Barts NHS trust provide new hope for people with bladder cancer.
Conferences 25 October 2023
An immunotherapy drug called ‘pembrolizumab’ has been shown to significantly reduce disease recurrence in patients with the most aggressive type of breast cancer, according to results from a phase III clinical trial led by Professor Peter Schmid from Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.
In the Media 10 February 2022
A new type of drug that helps target chemotherapy directly to cancer cells has been found to significantly increase survival of patients with the most common form of bladder cancer, according to results from a phase III clinical trial led in the UK by Professor Tom Powles from Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health NHS Trust.
Conferences 15 February 2021
Research led by Professors Peter Schmid and Thomas Powles from Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, has been selected by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for inclusion in the Clinical Cancer Advances 2021, the Society’s annual review of progress against cancer. The notable studies, which investigated the use of immunotherapy in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer and advanced bladder cancer, are featured as two of many remarkable milestones in clinical cancer research and care.
General News 2 February 2021
An immunotherapy drug called ‘avelumab’ has been shown to significantly improve survival in patients with the most common type of bladder cancer, according to results from a phase III clinical trial led by Professor Tom Powles.
General News 18 September 2020
An immune therapy for the most aggressive form of breast cancer can substantially reduce the risk of the disease returning, according to a clinical trial led by Professor Peter Schmid of Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London.
General News 27 February 2020
Results of an interim analysis from the KEYNOTE-522 trial have shown a treatment combination of immunotherapy plus chemotherapy to improve response rates in patients with early triple-negative breast cancer. Prof Peter Schmid presented the results at the ESMO Congress 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.
Conferences 30 September 2019
Research provides new hope for people with an aggressive type of breast cancer.
General News 22 October 2018