A £24 million research centre will be opened in Milton Keynes today to be a focal point of finding cures for diabetes and dementia.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) National Biosample Centre will increase the capacity for national biomedical and clinical research, allowing researchers to be at the forefront of diagnosing and treating conditions such as diabetes.
More extensive studies will now be based at the centre, with its facilities available to NHS health researchers, academics, and researchers in the industry of broader life sciences.
World class healthcare system
The centre will be opened by Life Sciences Minister George Freema, who said: “The NHS is not only a world class healthcare system but it is fast becoming recognised as a world class research platform for 21st Century medical innovation.”
Studies that involve large volumes of biological samples will be aided by the centre, which has the capacity to store over 20 million samples at temperatures as low as -196°C. This can keep them preserved for many years.
The £24million capital investment was delivered by the Department of Health to the University of Oxford, who launch the Biosample Centre in partnership with UK Biocentre.
Dr Tim Peakma, CEO of UK Biocentre, said: “This is an exciting initiative. The aim is to improve health research infrastructure so that researchers can focus on the important stuff – their research.”
Treating diabetes has been given a large boost with the opening of the Biosample Centre, with diabetes research towards find a cure continuing to develop.
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