Asthma research laboratories

Location:Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust / King's College London
Award: £1.25 million
Award date: July 2005

Project intentions:
Provision of state-of-the-art asthma research laboratories at Guy's Hospital.

Project outcomes:
The new facilities were officially opened by Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council (MRC), in October 2008.

Part of the Medical Research Council and Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma established in 2005, the new facility is part of a £10 million investment in asthma and allergy research by King’s College, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the Charity.

The refurbishment has provided three large laboratory spaces with an air conditioned 'en suite' facility, offices and a seminar room, allowing for expansion of the Centre's activities, which focus specifically on environment and respiratory health and the impact of the introduction of the low emission zone. Other areas of research span from babies to adulthood and address key questions around infections, inflammation, food allergies and developing new immune therapies. One of the Centre's main purposes is to speed up the process of translating research discoveries into new treatments for patients.

On opening the new facilities Sir Leszek Borysiewicz said: "The potential for this Centre to lead the way in asthma and allergy research across the world is inching closer with the opening of new laboratories."’

Geoffrey Shepherd, Chief Executive of the Charity said: "We are delighted to have been able to contribute to these high calibre laboratories. We are committed towards supporting research which will have national and international significance, and I am confident that the eminent researchers based here will continue to break new ground in these state of the art facilities."

Professor Tak Lee, Director of the Centre, said: "We are truly in an epidemic of asthma. Our national Centre was established to find the reasons and identify new treatments. We have made very good progress in a very short time and I am optimistic that real benefits to the patient will come through very soon. The new state of the art research facilities will provide a terrific boost to our endeavours and I am most grateful to our partners for placing their confidence in us."

Jenny Versnel, Executive Director of Research, Asthma UK said: "Asthma UK are very proud to be associated with this unique and highly prestigious centre. In the UK one person dies from asthma every seven hours and further research is crucial in order to progress our understanding of why asthma develops and how we might prevent it."

The Charity has also supported refurbishment of the Children’s Allergies and Dermatology Centre at St Thomas'. More »