AwardInnovationPartnership Myeloma research boost with £10 million donation
Benefactors Hugh and Josseline Langmuir have donated £10 million to establish a myeloma research centre at Hammersmith Hospital.
Imperial’s Centre for Haematology at Hammersmith Hospital is one of the world’s leading diagnostic and treatment centres for blood disorders. It was one of the first in Europe to perform a stem cell transplant using donor cells, and the first centre in Europe to perform successful unrelated donor bone marrow transplant for aplastic anaemia and chronic myeloid leukaemia.
The £10 million gift will fund the creation of the centre at Imperial’s Hammersmith Hospital Campus providing cutting-edge facilities and equipment, and space for researchers and clinicians to collaborate. It will also allow the College to recruit, train and support talented researchers from around the world, strengthening its existing academic team, unlocking new research avenues, and augmenting its innovation capacity.
The myeloma research programme is led by NIHR Imperial BRC Cancer Theme investigators – Professor Anastasios Karadimitris, Dr Aristeidis Chaidos and Dr Holger Auner. Professor Jane Apperley, who leads the Centre of Haematology, said: “Imperial has an outstanding track record in myeloma and haematology research. Our researchers are making ground-breaking advances in our understanding of disease, identifying new drug targets, optimising immune based therapies and working tirelessly to take new therapies through to clinical trials for patient benefit.
“Despite our successes, there is still so much more we want – and need – to achieve in order to better treat myeloma and other blood disorders. This incredibly generous donation will allow us to harness and focus our strengths to realise this ambitious vision.”
Hugh Langmuir said: “We have been hugely impressed by the skill and dedication of Imperial’s medical staff and by the quality of research being conducted at the Hammersmith Haematology Unit. With the increased resources made possible by this donation, we hope to assist the team in their important work of furthering our understanding of this disease and developing new and more effective treatments.”
Read the full version of this article by Deborah Evanson, which includes statements from Imperial College London’s president and the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, here.
Image credit: Wikicommons / KGH
