The MRC Biostatistics Unit run a number of successful online and in-person courses in statistics on a range of topics at different levels, for statistical, clinical and other audiences.
Online courses take place through the University of Cambridge’s Moodle platform, while in-person courses normally take place in Cambridge at the East Forvie Building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Further information about our upcoming courses is given below.
Genetics in Drug Development, November 2025 – Registration is now open
Mendelian Randomization course, November 2025 – Registration is now open
Description: Studies based on Mendelian randomization are increasingly being used to distinguish causal relationships from observational associations in epidemiology and to prioritize potential targets for pharmaceutical intervention. This course intends to explain both simple and more complex statistical methods for causal inference in Mendelian randomization studies, and the instrumental variable assumptions on which they are based. The course includes several computing practicals in R.
Location: Online
Duration: 3 weeks, 4 live sessions per week (x2 courses per year)
Course Tutors: Dr Stephen Burgess (MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge), Dr Ville Karhunen (MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge), Dr Janne Pott (MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge), Dr Ang Zhou (MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge), Dr Amy Mason (Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge), Dr Dipender Gill (Sequoia Genetics/Imperial College London)
Upcoming course dates: 3rd – 21st November 2025
Course fee:
- Student Registration £200.00
- Academic / Non-profit Registration £380.00
- Private sector / Commercial Registration £500.00
Registration: Mendelian Randomization course | November 2025
More information: Mendelian Randomization course (mendelianrandomization.com)
Efficient Adaptive Designs for Phase I Dose-Finding and Dose-Optimisation Studies 24-26 September 2025 - Registration now open
Early phase trials are recognised to have a major impact on later phase confirmatory trials. This course presents state of the art methodology for Phase I dose-finding and dose-optimisation studies that are delivered via a mixture of lectures, practical sessions, and discussions. The topics will include:
• Model-based and model-free Phase I dose-finding single-agent designs;
• Dose-optimisation strategies
• Phase I dose-findings designs for dual-agent and dose-schedules trials
• Phase I/II designs for cytotoxic drugs;
• Randomised dose-escalations trials;
• Inclusion of covariates into Phase I dose-escalation;
Among other methods we will learn about model-based dose-escalation in-patients studies (such as Continual Reassessment Method [CRM], Bayesian logistic regression model [BLRM], Escalation with Overdose Control [EWOC]), model-free and model-assisted designs, their extensions for dual-agent and dose-schedule trials, and implementation of these designs in a software (specifically, R).
The course focuses on in-person dose-finding studies and will cover several therapeutic areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and opioids detoxification.
University of Cambridge Students and Staff, whose department will be covering the participation cost, please raise a Purchase Order (or contact a member of your department who can assist with this) and send a PDF of the Purchase Order to sharon.dippenaar@mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk. You will then be sent the passcode which you will need to use along with the Purchase Order number to complete registration below, selecting the 'UoC Student/Staff Registration' option.
Registration: Efficient Adaptive Designs for Phase I Dose-Finding and Dose-Optimisation Studies