Royal Preston's cash boost for research into a range of illnesses - both common and rare

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LTH) is set to receive a share of a £59.1m grant via the Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

The five-year funding allocation will ensure widespread access to cutting-edge clinical trials and will allow the Manchester BRC to expand its current research interests - in cancer, dermatology, hearing, musculoskeletal, and respiratory disciplines - into other areas, such as heart disease, mental health and less widespread illnesses.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds 20 biomedical research centres across the country, which have been awarded £800m in this latest round of investment. Their work is based on partnerships between healthcare professionals and academics in the country’s leading NHS trusts and universities.

The new funding will allow the Manchester BRC - which is hosted by Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and The University of Manchester - to extend its reach into Lancashire at both LTH and also the trust that operates Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Professor Pierre Martin-Hirsch,director of research and innovation at LTH said: “The collaboration with Manchester University Hospitals and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals will stimulate the development of primary research across the two institutions.

“The clinicians, students and patients will benefit from integration of academic activity in healthcare in Lancashire, benefiting not only patient outcomes, but also rais[ing] the standard and profile of services.”

Paul Brown, LTH’s head of research and innovation at LTH, said that the funding was a “fantastic development for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals [and an opportunity] to expand its repertoire in experimental medicine from our NIHR Lancashire Clinical Research Facility”.

He added: “Locally, it’s also a great opportunity to collaborate with colleagues, not only in Greater Manchester, but also Blackpool Teaching Hospitals who have also benefited from this success and associated funding. We are grateful to Manchester University Hospitals and The University of Manchester for our inclusion in this.”

Over the past nine years, the nation’s BRCs have garnered nearly £9 billion of funding from external organisations in order to undertake experimental medicine and early research.

More than 11,800 patents have been generated by BRCs and 85 spin-out companies, with intellectual property from the centres generating more than £800m in revenue.

The centres have collaborated with almost 3,000 small and medium-sized companies - as well as 2,000 other partners in the life sciences industry.