From the first direct measurement of blood pressure to the unravelling of the complexities of DNA, the University of Cambridge is a global leader in biomedical research, clinical education and healthcare innovation, in areas from cardiovascular medicine to cancer research. A key component of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the University’s School of Clinical Medicine operates in a unique multidisciplinary environment, with a track record of working in close partnership with its NHS colleagues. Through a visionary bench-to-bedside approach, research at the School aims to rapidly translate advances in basic science into clinical benefits for patients.
Formally launched in November 2009, the Cambridge Biomedical Campus encompasses internationally renowned organisations including Cancer Research UK, Cambridge University Hospitals, and the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology, which has produced 14 Nobel Prize winners. The UK Government has selected the campus as one of only five ‘Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centres’ in the UK, recognising it as a leader in scientific translation. With plans to double in size by 2020, this is a rapidly growing world-class centre of excellence for biomedical research, education, and patient care.
The University is playing a vital role in producing the medical advances that save lives, and that have the potential to transform the way we understand and treat disease.
Student support liberating potential
Tomorrow's talented doctors and medical scientists are being educated at Cambridge today. At the forefront of research into conditions ranging from heart disease to genetic illness, the School has developed innovative postgraduate programmes for clinician-scientists, combining laboratory research with active treatment of patients. Support is required for studentships for the flagship MBPhD programme, which enables medical students to integrate a three-year period of research with their clinical education; and for Clinical PhD Fellowships tailored for qualified doctors who wish to enter the field of medical research. Studentships are also required for the new MPhil in Public Health and Primary Care, an innovative course designed to equip students and seasoned health professionals with the necessary tools to make a professional contribution to public health.
Outstanding academics sustaining leadership
Funding is required for Next Generation Fellowships that support rising academic stars at an early stage in their independent medical research careers, and to retain the School's fast-track researchers in cancer research, brain repair and infectious diseases by enabling them to establish their own research groups Support is required, too, for Professorships in Stem Cell Medicine to advance the translation of Cambridge’s outstanding stem cell research into practical therapies for patients suffering from degenerative and often fatal diseases, and in Ophthalmology to research the causes and potential treatment of blindness.
Support is required for agenda-setting initiatives that, in different ways, all result in disseminating and amplifying expertise gained through research and taught courses at Cambridge. A Visiting Researchers Fund within the highly effective programmes in International Health and Infectious Diseases will empower people from developing countries to apply knowledge gained at the School within their own communities. A Venture Fund for pre-peer review research will help entrepreneurial clinician-scientists in the process of commercialising their discoveries. Interdisciplinary programmes with Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry will provide a catalyst for a collaborative approach to fundamental medical questions. Funding for state-of-the-art scientific medical equipment is required at the flagship Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, where clinical and basic science converges in the study of the molecular mechanisms of disease..
Focus on unlocking the secrets of the brain
Our understanding of the brain has been transformed by clinical neuroscience, which holds out great promise for treatments for devastating illnesses and injuries ranging from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and MS, to stroke, head trauma, and spinal cord injuries. Support is required for Professorships in Experimental Neurology, Neuro-Immunology and Neurorehabilitation, to continue the great advances made at Cambridge in understanding not only the causes of neurological disorders, but the translation of research into new medical advances. In partnership with local NHS Trusts, the University is looking to develop a new neuroscience research institute alongside new clinical facilities.
Focus on understanding heart and respiratory disease
The School’s distinctive bench-to-bedside approach to medical treatment is a result of its close
collaboration with three NHS hospitals, and support is required for a new Cambridge Cardio-Respiratory Institute. Planned
as part of the relocation of Papworth Hospital to the Biomedical Campus, the Institute will focus on research and treatment of
common conditions such as heart disease and respiratory diseases including pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease. This new Institute provides significant opportunity to recruit new senior investigators to the University, and
establish fellowship and studentship programmes in heart and lung research. Support is also sought for a new Professorship
of Regenerative Medicine to research the role of stem cells in heart disease, and for Next Generation Fellowships to
stimulate recruitment in this exciting new research area.
Focus on combatting cancer
Cancer affects people in countless millions: one in four people in the UK will develop a cancer in their lifetime. Cancer research at the School aims to build from a platform of basic cellular and molecular biology to practical clinical application, ensuring that basic research is translated into potentially lifesaving treatments and clinical care for patients. Funding is required to support promising interdisciplinary research programmes focused on cancers in specific tissues, currently breast, pancreas, prostate and ovary, and for programmes focused on early diagnosis and prevention. Specialised equipment is required to support increasingly complex techniques such as genomics and imaging.
Focus on children’s health
In partnership with Cambridge University Hospitals, the School is planning to further enhance its services for children and its associated research into clinical care and the specific impact of diseases, from childhood cancer to heart disease in infants. Funding is also required for a new Professor of Developmental Oncology to lead research into the genetic origins of cancer, while a new Professor in Fetal and Neonatal Disease, linked with the Rosie Maternity Hospital Neonatal Unit, will head research into diseases affecting infants before and immediately after birth. New programmes and facilities are planned to further research into the fetal origins of disease, and the vital role of the placenta for a baby's normal development and growth in the womb.
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