A partnership between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been awarded £12m to intensify exploration of new medical treatment.
The additional funding given to The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) will allow researchers to expand their investigations into diseases such as infection, immune disorders, and cardiovascular diseases.
The next five years will see researchers working to improve early diagnosis for pulmonary vascular disease, care for patients living with HIV and cardiovascular disease patients, and develop new vaccines for infectious diseases, as well as further advancements in neurological conditions.
Director of the NIHR Sheffield BRC, Prof. Dame Pamela Shaw, said: “The Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre has a track record of giving access to experimental medical trials for patients living with a variety of diseases. This work has improved the outlook in multiple ways for patients facing devastating neurological conditions.
“This new round of funding will allow the centre to continue this important work and develop a portfolio of promising new therapeutic approaches, as well as creating opportunities for the next generation of clinical and scientific researchers working to improve the lives of those living in South Yorkshire, a region that still suffers from lower life expectancy and wider health inequalities.”
A 2019 report from South Yorkshire Integrated Care System stated that the difference in life expectancy between the most and least deprived areas of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw was 9.6 years for females, and 12.4 for males.
The NIHR Sheffield BRC was launched in 2017, and is a partnership between the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust dedicated to improving the health and care of people, as well as ensuring patients across the country have the opportunity to take part in, and benefit from, cutting-edge research studies.
Kirsten Major, Chief Executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted. This means we can expand the ground-breaking research we do in partnership with the University of Sheffield which impacts on the future care and treatment of so many patients not just locally but worldwide.”
Previous NIHR funding has been used by NIHR Sheffield BRC to conduct 304 clinical studies, through which 2,974 patients had access to innovative experimental medicine treatments and therapies, 10 of which have patents underpinning further development towards the clinic.