The Department of Health has today awarded Birmingham £12m to help advance research into inflammatory diseases.
The funding from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) for the Birmingham BRC in Inflammation combines our world-class strengths in immunology and inflammation research and extensive experimental medicine infrastructure. This will support a five-year programme between the NHS and University as core partners of Birmingham Health Partners (BHP) to better understand and treat a range of debilitating diseases for patients in Birmingham and beyond.
Professor David Adams, Head of the College of Medical and Dental Sciences, Director of Birmingham Health Partners and the new Birmingham NIHR BRC comments; “We are delighted that the NIHR have funded a Biomedical Research Centre in inflammatory disease in Birmingham. We will build a centre of excellence that will allow us to take scientific discoveries through into new treatments for patients with inflammatory and autoimmune joint, muscle, bowel and liver diseases.
“Chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, colitis and liver diseases are increasingly common and a major cause of suffering and early death. In Birmingham, we have been researching the underlying processes behind these diseases for many years. This award will enable the University and University Hospitals Birmingham to continue to develop the facilities and teams to help better understand and treat these disabling diseases.”
Through this funding, leading NHS clinicians and top universities throughout the UK will benefit from new world class facilities and support services built by the five-year funding package – the largest ever investment into health research.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Birmingham are one of 20 NHS and University partnerships across England, who have each been awarded funding through the National Institute for Health Research, boosting growth in cities across the country.
Each of the new Biomedical Research Centres will host the development of new, ground-breaking treatments, diagnostics, prevention and care for patients in a wide range of diseases like cancer and dementia.
ENDS
For more information please contact Luke Harrison, Communications Manager for Health Sciences, on +44 (0) 121 4145134. Out of hours please call +44 (0) 7789 921165 or email pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk
- The funding is being provided by the Government’s National Institute for Health Research.
- About the NIHR: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is funded through the Department of Health to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. Since its establishment in April 2006, the NIHR has transformed research in the NHS. It has increased the volume of applied health research for the benefit of patients and the public, driven faster translation of basic science discoveries into tangible benefits for patient and the economy and developed and supported the people who conduct and contribute to applied health research. The NIHR plays a key role in the Government’s strategy for economic growth, attracting investment by the life-sciences industries through its world-class infrastructure for health research. Together, the NIHR people, programmes, centres of excellence, and systems represent the most integrated health research system in the world. http://www.nihr.ac.uk/.
- The NIHR first established Biomedical Research Centres in 2007 to drive innovation and translate basic scientific discoveries into new cutting-edge treatments, medical technologies and diagnostics for use in clinical settings. This NIHR infrastructure funding provides the NHS with the research facilities and expertise to undertake experimental medicine research across a range of clinical and research areas.
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions, its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers and teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.