£1.5m funding boost for research will improve health outcomes
A £1.5 million boost has funded state-of-the-art equipment at a West Midlands NHS Trust which means quicker access to life-saving treatments and faster diagnosis of rare and infectious diseases.
The money will be used to build a specialised pharmacy for clinical trials and purchase a Nanopore genetics sequencer, boosting the capacity for diagnosing conditions and testing new treatments at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
The Aseptic Pharmacy Unit is designed to prepare medicines which must be used quickly, giving increased access to patients.
Meanwhile, the Nanopore Sequencer can read much longer stretches of genetic code than before, which speeds and improves diagnosis.
Funding has been received from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
Professor Jeremy Kirk, Director of Research and Development at the Trust, said: “This is a true game changer in the world of research and will give our patients access to more clinical trials.
“The Trust is nationally recognised for its contribution to genetics, and collaborative research working with partners across the region and beyond.
“This funding will allow our teams to enhance current genetic testing (whole genome sequencing) by reading longer sections of the DNA that makes up the genome, moving from so-called short to long-read technologies. This shift will allow detection of genetic variants that would otherwise remain undetected, leading to faster diagnoses and earlier access to targeted treatments for our patients.”
The equipment will also increase the number of trials delivered in the area in partnership with commercial sponsors such as pharmaceutical companies.
The Trust is host to the Central and North West Midlands Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC). This consists of a network of hospitals, community and GP sites which are paired with commercial partners to host clinical trials leading to faster set up.
Jeremy added: “Expanding the number of patients eligible for clinical trials through rapid analysis of their entire genetic code, and improved pharmacy services will also increase our opportunities to collaborate with commercial partners. This includes the development of innovative treatments such as cell and gene therapies including editing for rare diseases and cancers, and the delivery of new, pioneering treatments to those who need them most.”
