NIHR comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre

The comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), awarded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in December 2006, is one of just five such centres in the UK.

The centre is a major collaboration between Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and its academic partner King’s College London, with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust as a key strategic partner.

Additional strategic alliances also exist with Barts and the London and St George’s NHS Trusts, and the centre also works closely with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust which also has a specialist Biomedical Research Centre for mental health with its academic partner the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London.

The centre has been up and running since April 2007 and is led by Director Professor Richard Trembath and Deputy Director Professor Graham Lord.

The centre’s work is focused on seven key themes:

  • Allergy and asthma
  • Atherosclerosis (heart disease and stroke)
  • Cancer
  • Dermatology
  • Immunology and infection
  • Oral health
  • Transplantation

There are also a number of cross cutting areas:

Unique to this Biomedical Research Centre is the Biomedical Forum, a fortnightly meeting that showcases the best translational research from the centre and around the world.

Translation of research into patient benefit relies on successful interactions with biotechnology, pharmaceutical and venture capital industries. To ensure the best outcomes from the research portfolio, the centre is drawing on the expertise of King’s Business and the Corporate Development teams at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College Hospital. Together they are developing the means to identify, protect and develop intellectual property in the centre, and to commercialise innovations quickly and effectively.

The centre’s collaborative approach, both in terms of strategic partnerships and in the way that it brings together research, training and clinical service, makes it an exemplar for the way in which the Academic Health Sciences Centre will operate.

It also shows how a partnership approach can deliver ground breaking medical science and translational research to benefit patient care.

Further information:

Initial grant
In 2007/08, the centre received £6 million funding to support the creation of a Faculty of Translational Medicine and Clinical research Facilities at Guy’s - including the purchase of major equipment to provide infrastructure for the translational research portfolio. A similar facility is also being developed at King’s College Hospital.

Over five years the centre will receive a further £46 million to fund major multidisciplinary research programmes, innovative clinical research consultant posts, and various studentships and fellowships.

Academic training posts
In addition to the initial five year NIHR grant the award of the centre has enabled the partner organisations to secure substantial further investment in training posts only open to application from BRCs.

These include:

  • Seven academic clinical fellowships per year over three years, possibly increasing to five years, giving a total of 21 or 35 posts at the end of the period.
  • Approximately two clinical lectureships per year over three or five years, leading to a total of six or 10 posts at the end of the period.
  • BRC fellows in translational research, whose appointment costs will be met by leveraging external grant funding to support their work.

Key commercial initiatives
Additional areas where the Biomedical Research Centre success has played an important role in securing external investment and recognition include:

  • Securing a Wyeth Early Clinical Development Centre - the only such centre in Western Europe - which will attract significant income over the next five years.
  • Collaborations with Pfizer focused on cancer research and potential collaborations with other major pharmaceutical companies including GSK, which align with the work of the Joint Clinical Trials Office.
  • Ongoing discussions with the largest provider of phase one trials in the world, which is expected to establish a major facility that will be co-located with the Biomedical Research Centre’s Clinical Research Facility and Faculty of Translational Medicine and will work with the BRC to create a BSc in Translational Medicine.

Major Centre status awards
The Biomedical Research Centre has also played an important role in securing a number of prestigious major Centre status awards, including:

  • Membership of the UK Global Medical Excellence Cluster (GMEC).This is a small group of leading universities, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies convened by the Prime Minister to develop the UK’s strengths in medical research.
  • Membership of the Biomedical Research Centres’ Directors’ Cabinet - with Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and University College London - and playing a leading role in a major multi-centre million IT infrastructure project.
  • One of three Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centres attracting around £4 million.
  • Host for the Local Clinical Research Network.
  • The award a British Heart Foundation Centre of Excellence which will attract £9.3 million over five years.
  • A Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Centre, jointly with Cambridge University which will attract $6 million over five years.

For further information visit www.biomedicalresearchcentre.org