Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The NIHR is investing £72 million to establish 14 new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) in England to enhance commercial clinical research speed and efficiency. These centres will support UK's status as a top research location, decentralize clinical trials to community settings, and ensure research inclusion for all eligible communities. Funded by the VPAG Investment Programme and NIHR, the initiative aims to boost UK's life sciences sector and economic growth.

£100 million public-private investment to set up 20 research hubs across the UK, enhancing access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials in community settings, boosting economic growth and research delivery leadership in various medical conditions.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Trust confirms a data breach where sensitive medical records were published on the dark web and shared on social media. The breach impacted patients from three Liverpool facilities: Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, and Royal Liverpool University Hospital. An ongoing investigation aims to determine the specifics of the intrusion and the types of data stolen. No hospital services were affected, and patients are advised to continue attending appointments as usual.

Neeru Vallabh, PhD, discusses the burgeoning number of glaucoma cases worldwide and the push for earlier diagnosis through biomarkers. She highlights the need for predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine, potentially via metabolomics. Metabolomics, the analysis of metabolites, reflects physiological or pathological states and could provide new therapeutic targets. Techniques like mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy are used to study metabolomics. In glaucoma, metabolites like amino acids and lipids are altered, impacting mitochondrial function and retinal ganglion cells. Vallabh envisions applying metabolomics findings to clinical practice, aided by metabolite databases, to identify novel therapeutic targets.