Press release from RD&E NHS FT

New world-class research centre

The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry has been awarded £4.75m capital funding by the Wellcome-Wolfson Capital Awards initiative towards the development of the world class Centre for Translational Medicine in Exeter. The Centre forms part of the strategic expansion of the College and will be built with considerable additional financial support from the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and £13.5m from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry and the University of Exeter.

In collaboration with the University of Exeter, Peninsula Foundation (the region’s leading medical research foundation) will support the project through a capital appeal to raise £1.5m. This appeal will commence in September 2010.

The new Centre will focus on research aimed at improving our understanding of the origin and causes of diabetes and related conditions, translating that understanding into personalised patient care.

The project will bring together, in one building, clinical and biomedical scientists working in human genetics, cell biology, human physiology and interventional studies (eg: treatments, therapies, behaviour change) of diabetes. It will consolidate a wide range of Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry research which currently takes place at various locations. It will allow the institution to significantly expand the quantity and variety of the research it carries out in Exeter.

The Centre for Translational Medicine will be based on the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital NHS Foundation Trust campus next to the existing Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry building and the MacLeod Diabetes and Endocrine Centre. As a key partner, the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust hospital site is the preferred location for the Centre for Transitional Medicine. This is where the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry building, the diabetes vascular research centre and the postgraduate medical centre are all based – creating an identity for that part of the hospital site as the research, innovation and learning zone.

Chief Executive of the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust Angela Pedder OBE said: “The RD&E partnership with Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry and Universities of Exeter and Plymouth has achieved arguably one of the most successful new Medical Schools in the UK. Creation of this innovation and learning centre was closely aligned to our commitment to delivering patient-centred health services, postgraduate medical education and allied healthcare education in a research culture. We know already that many benefits are reaped from having a health research activity close to where healthcare services are delivered. Patients will benefit from this best practice and knowledge.”

The Centre represents 2943 sq m of research facilities in a new two storey building including biomedical (genetics and cell biology) laboratories and computing facilities, a clinical research area, office accommodation, meeting rooms and support areas.

When fully operational it is estimated that more than 150 members of staff will work in the building, including researchers, academics, post-doctorates, postgraduate students, bioinformaticians, statisticians, research nurses, technicians and support staff.

It is anticipated that construction will begin in early Spring 2012 with completion in Summer 2013.

Professor Angela Shore, Director of Biomedical and Clinical Science at the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, commented: “This is a significant capital funding award for us and our thanks go to the Wellcome-Wolfson Capital Awards initiative. The Centre for Translational Medicine will allow us to further develop our key work on the origins and causes of diabetes and illnesses related to the condition and, fundamentally, to translate our work from our laboratories into treatments and therapies for patients. We are already the international centre for the genetics of neonatal diabetes and we are internationally recognised as a leader in a wide range of research related to the disease and its affiliate conditions. Our new building and the facilities it will offer mean that we can develop our work and our reputation to the benefit patients across the world, placing our research carried out in the South West of England firmly on the global stage.”