Southampton University awarded £17m for nutrition and respiratory
research
19 August 2011
The Southampton Centre for Biomedical Research, established by
the partnership between Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust
(SUHT) and the University of Southampton, have been awarded £17m to
progress the city’s world-leading nutrition and respiratory research
facilities.
The funding, which is part of the Government’s £800m investment
in NHS and university partnerships, has secured the future of the
Southampton Centre for Biomedical Research for the next five years
by supporting its core infrastructure required for cutting-edge
clinical research.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Respiratory
Biomedical Research unit (BRU) and the Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle
Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) — key elements of the Southampton
Centre for Biomedical Research — focus on taking research out of the
laboratory and into the clinic.
Having already shown how poor nutrition in childhood can set the
stage for chronic ill health during adulthood, experts recently
discovered that a child’s chances of developing allergies or
wheezing is related to how they grow at vital stages in the womb.
“It is testament to the quality and expertise of clinicians and
scientists within the Trust and the University of Southampton that
the government and our fellow professionals nationally and
internationally are so strong in their support both clinically and
financially,” says Christine McGrath, Director of Research and
Development at SUHT.
“This huge investment is a striking endorsement of our
achievements to-date but also of our ambition to move forward and
continue to be at the forefront of medical developments.”
The Respiratory BRU, which specialises in looking at new
therapies for diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease and cystic fibrosis, and neonatal, paediatric and adult
intensive care, has been allocated £7.3m. Meanwhile the NIHR review
panel’s decision to increase funds for the nutrition, diet and
lifestyle BRC, based on the quality of its application, means it
will receive a total of £9.6m.
Professor Ratko Djukanovic, Director of the Respiratory BRU and a
Professor of Medicine at the University of Southampton, says: “We
are extremely pleased that the results we have achieved over the
past three years and the direct effect we are having on clinical
research worldwide has been recognised with such significant
funding.”
Professor Iain Cameron, Dean of the University’s Faculty of
Medicine, adds, “This backing enables Southampton to continue as a
major player in national and international health policies and
initiatives to develop new therapies. It allows further development
of our expertise and innovation.”