The Gait Lab

The TORUS project will be utilising the experience of Newcastle’s Translational and Clinical Research Institute team and their Human Movement (Gait) Laboratory.

The laboratory was originally established in 2009 by Professor Lynn Rochester and has been led by Dr Lisa Alcock since 2016. It is based at the Clinical Ageing Research Unit; a translational clinical platform specialising in the development of early assessment and intervention strategies targeted at age-associated degenerative conditions. The lab portfolio covers a variety of studies (feasibility, observational, longitudinal, CTIMPS, RCTs) with a range of patient groups (neurodegenerative, neuromuscular, neurogenetic) and we have significant expertise in the design and development of novel protocols, managing and delivering complex clinical trials, database curation and implementing data analytics. We collaborate closely with patient organisations, stakeholders, academic and clinical researchers both nationally and internationally, and industry partners.

Clinical trials conducted here specialise in the following:

• Establishing standardised operational procedures for characterising mobility loss as a result of ageing and in a variety of patient cohorts.  
• Validating (accuracy, reliability, technical and clinical validity) measurement outcomes for clinical and regulatory endorsement.
• Generating actionable insights supporting the development of targeted treatments/therapeutics.
• Evaluating novel treatments and therapeutics targeting mobility impairment.
• Translating discoveries in laboratory-based research to real-world application of mobility monitoring.

Gait laboratory at Newcastle University.