Bristol to benefit from new £3m Blood and Transplant Research Unit

A new £3 million NIHR Blood and Transplant
Research Unit (BTRU) to advance pioneering research on the manufacture of red
blood cells from stem cells and their translation from the lab to human trials
has been announced.

The unit is a partnership between the University
of Bristol and NHS Blood and Transplant. It will carry out research to aid the
development of new red blood cell products to support the transfusion needs of
patients with rare blood groups and those with complex and life-limiting conditions
like sickle cell disease and thalassemia.

Life Sciences Minister, George Freeman said: “This innovative new unit is fantastic news for
patients with rare blood types and conditions, whose lives will be transformed
through the latest pioneering research. Investment by the National
Institute for Health Research in this project highlights the government’s
ongoing commitment to translate 21st century scientific advances into real
patient benefits.”

Professor Dave Anstee, Director of the unit,
said: “The Unit will support a major programme of research aimed at generating
new and better blood products for patients for whom provision of conventional
donated blood is problematic.”

Dr Ashley Toye from the University of Bristol’s
School of Biochemistry, who led the application for the NIHR Blood and
Transplant Research Unit, added: “This NIHR award cements Bristol’s
reputation as a world-leading centre for blood research. The unit’s ambitious
research will include a clinical trial of small volumes of artificial blood in
human volunteers and also carry research to maximise blood production.”

The unit is one of four new NIHR Blood and
Transplant Research Units (BTRU) for which the National Institute for Health
Research (NIHR) has committed £15.1 million of funding through a competitive
process. The BTRUs are all partnerships between top universities and NHS
Blood and Transplant, and focus on rapid translation of research findings into
routine practice in blood donation and in transplantation of stem cells and
organs.

The NIHR award is a partnership between
researchers from the University of Bristol and NHSBT at Bristol and Cambridge
and in collaboration with researchers from the Universities of Warwick, Bath
and the West of England. It will also involve collaborations with several
commercial companies including Miltenyi Biotech, GE Healthcare, Sanquin Blood
Supply (Netherlands) and SmartSeparations.