The new Oxford Centre for Haematology has been launched with funding from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), bringing together University of Oxford researchers and clinicians from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The aim of this new virtual centre is to bring people working in haematology together to improve the understanding and treatment of blood diseases and disorders, and to deliver the best available care to patients.
The centre will be hosted by the university’s Radcliffe Department of Medicine, and embedded within the Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
However, it will actively draw members from beyond the department with the aim of promoting integration between academic and clinical haematology programmes in the university and OUH and so capitalise on scientific opportunities to transform our understanding of haemopoiesis and blood diseases, and radically improve patient care.
The OCH will be led by Prof Paresh Vyas, (left) Professor of Haematology at the university and a Consultant Haematologist with the OUH, so ideally positioned to bridge the academic and clinical facets of this collaborative venture.
Prof Vyas is the Co-theme Lead for Haematology and Stem Cells, and the Interim Theme Lead for Molecular Diagnostics of the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, whose funding has helped to make the OCH a reality.
The OCH builds on over 40 years of haematology research excellence in Oxford. From the pioneering work on globins led by Professor Sir David Weatherall, Prof John Clegg and Prof Doug Higgs, through to our current position of driving the largest blood cancer clinical trials programme in the UK, Oxford is a powerhouse of haematology research.
The centre will build on and enhance our understanding of blood cancers, ageing of the haemopoietic system and the links with inflammation and immunity.
It will also raise new funding for research, trials and implementation into clinical practice, alongside training the next generation of scientists and healthcare professionals.
Partnerships are at the heart of OCH – between researchers and clinicians, with industry and with patients – and it is expected that improved patient outcomes will arise from better integration of resources and ideas.
The OCH will be hosting an Inaugural Symposium on 26 March. It will be an opportunity to learn about the centre‘s goals and research priorities. You can register here.
If you have any questions about OCH, please direct them to Julie Stevens.