Recently, in partnership with the NHS Trust, Medicine has won two major competitive grants from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to establish biomedical research units in both respiratory disease, and nutrition, diet and lifestyle (including obesity).
These join the Cancer Research UK /Department of Health funded Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre and the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility (WTCRF) to create world-leading centres where basic medical research is taken out of the laboratory and into the hospital clinic - meaning patients will benefit more quickly from new scientific breakthroughs.
The Respiratory BRU supports five clinical programmes, including preventing asthma in young children, preventing lung damage in premature babies and overcoming antibiotic resistance in cystic fibrosis. This will be underpinned by a further programme aimed at developing better imaging of the lungs.
By improving the health of the people in and around Southampton and establishing a focus of excellence on the south coast, The Nutrition BRW will establish a model that will help to define a national policy that others in the world can aspire to.
Find out more on the Southampton Biomedical Research Units website .
The Cancer Medicine Centre is developing new treatments in the areas of immune therapy for cancer and novel molecular therapy. It is the centre of a national network for developing and validating immunological assays for monitoring the success of complex new therapies in clinical trials.
The Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility hosts translational research conducted by a variety of clinical and academic investigators from a broad range of specialties. Dedicated research space, specialist equipment, and teams of research nurses and support staff provide a secure, comfortable and appropriate environment for researchers and their volunteers, both adult and paediatric.
Translational research in the BRUs, WTCRF and the ECMC is supported by the Southampton Clinical Research Institute (SCRI).
The SCRI aims to encourage, facilitate, enhance and disseminate high-quality clinical, translational and experimental research for the benefit of patients. It brings together a variety of research support groups from the University and the local NHS Trust, enabling researchers to design, achieve funding for and implement high-quality, ethical and well-governed studies. The core groups include: Research Design Service; Public Health Sciences and Medical Statistics; Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility; University Hospital Southampton Foundation Trust Research and Development; and the University of Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.
We help researchers to design and carry out high-quality clinical, translational and experimental research involving patients and the public. This support can include assistance with submission of funding proposals; access to a suitably-equipped, modern environment in specialist or dedicated facilities; support to ensure compliance with ethical, clinical and research governance procedures; and assistance with training investigators and staff.