Developing our Translational Research Capabilities

The organisations comprising King’s Health Partners (KHP) are creating the enabling infrastructure to facilitate translational medical and health research, to enhance innovation and accelerate better outcomes for patients and communities served by KHP and beyond. 

A range of research capabilities, drawing on multi and interdisciplinary teams, are required to take early-stage translational and experimental medical research to benefit patients. 

Three funding calls are planned in year 1 (2023-2024) through strategic investment by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, King’s College London, and the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. Initial funding calls are seeking to support infrastructure and capabilities for translational medical research, particularly studies of disease mechanisms in humans and the translation of these insights into early interventions.  This includes use of diagnostics and devices, and the development of proof of concepts, such as through early phase clinical trials of new treatments and development of advanced therapies. 

We are delighted to announce the release of the first of a series of funding calls designed to underpin and accelerate translational medical research across our partner organisations. 

Funding call 1: Essentials for Translational Medical Research  

This call was open to all researchers employed at a KHP organisation and offers funding up to £250,000 towards underpinning posts, equipment and running costs that support translational medical research. Applications which focused on support for collaborative research activity spanning partners and faculties were encouraged.  

Awards 

Ten areas of activity have received awards, underpinning areas of clinical and academic excellence with emerging strengths and cross-cutting themes of data and diagnostics, to address the needs of patients and communities, and reduce health inequalities. We will showcase the successful applicants and their area of work in more detail over the coming months.  

The ten awards are: 

• Skin Health – building translational research capacity to address unmet needs  
• A multidisciplinary approach to early cancer detection, transforming personalised medicine to improve outcomes 
• International standardisation and enrichment of Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) data for co-created translational impact 
• King’s Centre for Lung Health Translational Research Capability  
• King’s Health Partners wide cardiovascular tissue biobank 
• From conception to birth: accelerating translation of research to improve pregnancy and neonatal outcomes  
• Accelerated pipeline for target tissue retrieval across Kings Health Partners Academic Rheumatology   
• Clinical translational support for Experimental Cancer Medicine  
• fNIRS expertise for translational fNIRS research 
• Clinical Diagnostics Development Unit (CCDU)