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18 August 2011

Joint NHS and University research awarded £11.5 million

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UH Bristol) and the University of Bristol have been awarded £11.5 million in funding for research into cardiovascular disease and nutrition, diet and lifestyle.

The funds were awarded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for two Biomedical Research Units (BRU) to develop and translate new scientific discoveries into ground-breaking medicines, treatments and better care for NHS patients.

Robert Woolley, Chief Executive of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said: "I am absolutely delighted that two areas of joint research between University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol have been recognised in this way. Research and the development of new ways of treating and caring for patients are a central plank of what we do. Our research into cardiovascular disease and nutrition, diet and lifestyle will undoubtedly benefit patients in the future."

Professor David Wynick, Director of Research for University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and North Bristol NHS Trust, said: "This is a fantastic demonstration of the quality of the science undertaken at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol and is a very welcome award which will directly benefit patients in the future."

In 2008 UH Bristol and the University of Bristol were awarded funding by the NIHR to set up the Bristol Biomedical Research Unit in Cardiovascular Disease situated in the Bristol Heart Institute. This designation has now been renewed and further funding awarded.

Professor Gianni Angelini, Director of the Bristol Cardiovascular BRU and British Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Bristol said: "The award of the NIHR BRU has created a state-of-the-art facility inspiring collaboration between scientists and clinicians to translate new research insights into benefits for patients. We can now perform internationally competitive research and at the same time train the next generation of cardiovascular scientists and clinicians."

The BRU enables some of the best health researchers and clinicians to work together. Studies are currently being conducted in a broad range of areas such as heart disease affecting children, research into stem cell and platelet function as well as imaging. 

The new BRU conducting research into nutrition, diet and lifestyle will be based in the University of Bristol Dental Hospital. 

"The overall aim of the new research unit is to translate knowledge derived from our work on causal associations in nutrition, drawn from population and clinical studies, to develop interventions to improve the health of people with conditions related to, or compromised by, poor or sub-optimal nutrition," said Professor Andy Ness who will be the Director of the new BRU.

Its aims are to optimise nutrition to improve the health of children with chronic disorders, develop nutritional and lifestyle interventions in men with prostate cancer, optimise the nutrition of people undergoing surgery or other major hospital treatment, develop interventions to reduce sedentary time in people with type II diabetes, identify further interventions for patients and to provide training in nutritional research methods for clinicians and non-clinical scientists to strengthen future clinical research in this area.


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