The University of Sunderland receives £450k research funding to “improve the lives of patients”

The University of Sunderland has received £300k in funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) to support commercialisation of pioneering research which aims to “improve the lives of patients across the UK”.

The money will then be matched with a further contribution of £150k from the University. The award follows a successful bid to the MRC for an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA). These are strategic funding awards provided by Research Funding Councils to enable organisations to take advantage of new opportunities to create research impact.

The funding is set to support translational research projects in areas such as the biosciences, medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutics that draw on the work of established teams in Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biomedical Sciences and also in the University’s new School of Medicine, which opened in 2019.

Projects will also develop and foster relationships with clinicians, industry stakeholders and other collaborative partners.

The investment will help establish proof-of-concept in areas involving molecular and cellular medicine, infection and immunology and drug design and delivery and work towards developing an innovative portfolio of treatments and technologies that may ultimately go on to play a key role in helping patients with a range of medical conditions.

Professor Tony Alabaster, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, commented: “I’m delighted that we have been successful in securing this prestigious award.

“This is the first time that we have received this award and is key in building on our translational research and proof-of-concept work to ensure the University delivers lasting impact for our partners and communities.”

Dr Adrian Moore, Head of School Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University, added: “The awards will support proof-of-concept projects designed to accelerate the impact of our research.

“In particular, projects funded through this award will feature cross-disciplinary research teams focusing on the translation of fundamental science research into new therapies, diagnostics and medical devices to improve healthcare of patients.”