NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre

The NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) will improve health outcomes in a region with lower-than-average life-expectancy and stark health inequalities.

Some of the key achievements in the next 5-years will include: Improved early diagnoses for dementias and pulmonary vascular disease. Optimised care pathways for patients with motor neuron disease and HIV.

Development of new vaccines for infectious diseases and treatments that delay the progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Improved outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease.

We will do this by building on a strong existing partnership between leading expert clinical teams at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and top-performing academic departments at the University of Sheffield (UoS).

This partnership already has an established track record in delivering impactful benefits for patients with debilitating conditions.

Our BRC will focus on three healthcare themes and one technology theme: Translational Neuroscience addressing: Motor neuron disease, widely considered the most distressing condition in medicine, Dementia, the leading cause of death in England and Wales, Multiple sclerosis, the commonest cause of disability in young adults, Parkinson s disease, ataxias and prevalent gluten related neurological disorders.

Cardiovascular disease covering vascular disorders including coronary artery disease, stroke and pulmonary hypertension which account for 133,000 deaths a year in England, with much greater premature mortality in the North.

Infection and Immunity conditions that disproportionately affect people from lower socio-economic backgrounds including patients with compromised immunity; chronic inflammatory diseases and emerging infections.

Imaging and Engineering for Health will apply world-leading expertise in medical imaging, predictive computer modelling and advanced manufacturing to develop beneficial healthcare interventions.

Building on the success of our current BRC we will: Advance understanding of disease mechanisms and the influence of environmental and lifestyle factors as well as barriers to inclusion in clinical research. Improve diagnosis utilising technology innovations. Evaluate potential new treatments using biomarkers to track disease processes and therapeutic effects.

Exploit digital health monitoring to make clinical trials efficient and accessible.

Combine genetic information with health-data from remote monitoring to help deliver personalised medicine and improved preventative measures. Work as a cohesive centre with strong leadership and operational structures.

Provide dynamic patient and public involvement, alongside equality, diversity and inclusion programmes to deliver impactful improvements for our patients.

Strong underpinning research programmes The UoS has a substantial pipeline of potential new therapies which once tested through experimental medicine trials and enhanced by clinic-to-laboratory insights have the potential to develop new novel therapeutic targets for neurological, cardiovascular, and infectious/inflammatory diseases.

World-class facilities Our leading-edge facilities and strong collaborations, which have flourished through our existing BRC and including those listed below, offer enormous added value to our research capabilities: NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility. Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience.

Florey Institute for Host-Pathogen Interactions. MRC/LifeArc Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre. PET-MRI facility.

MRC Pulmonary, Lung and Respiratory Imaging Sheffield. 125 industrial partnerships. 29 NIHR infrastructures/schemes collaborations. 59 research charity partnerships.