£12m boost for arthritis and bowel disease research in city

BIRMINGHAM scientists will be given £12 million in Government funding to carry out research into arthritis and bowel disease, it has been announced.

The cash injection will be handed to the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where the project will be carried out.

Medics will also research inflammatory sarcopaenia, which is agerelated loss of muscle mass.

Dame Julie Moore, chief executive of UHB, said: “We are delighted the Trust has been recognised for its expertise in collaborative research and the huge benefits this brings to patient care and outcomes. Our track record of close working with international organi- sations, industry, the University of Birmingham and other academic partners, puts us at the forefront of the Life Sciences agenda to deliver the full circle of translational care – from bench to bedside.

“Drawing on our unique population demographic, we can deliver meaningful results that will lead to lives being saved and improved quality of life for the wider NHS and healthcare economy.”

The bid for funding was support- ed by Birmingham Health Partners, a collaboration between UHB, the University of Birmingham, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Birmingham Women’s Hospital.

The money is part of a record £816 million investment into NHS research across the country.

Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said: “The UK has so often led the world in health research – from the invention of the smallpox vaccine to the discovery of penicillin and the development of DNA sequencing. Today, we are making sure the UK stays ahead of the game by laying the foundations for a new age of personalised medicine.

“We are supporting the great minds of the NHS to push the frontiers of medical science so that patients in this country continue to benefit from the very latest treatments and the highest standards of care.”