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Annual Report Summary
This page contains the accessible HTML format of the NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre Annual Report Summary 2024/2025.
About Us
About Us
The NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research.
NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) are collaborations between NHS organisations and universities. They bring together academics and clinicians to translate scientific discoveries into potential new treatments, diagnostics and technologies. The NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is hosted by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with The University of Sheffield.
The NIHR Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) creates an environment where early-phase, clinical and applied research can thrive. Our aim is to bridge the gap between new discoveries and the development of improved treatments, diagnostics, medical technologies and policy changes, ultimately improving patient care.
Sheffield has held BRC status since 2016, initially dedicated to Neuroscience research before expanding to a four-themed research centre in December 2022, encompassing:
Translational Neuroscience
Cardiovascular Disease
Infection and Immunity
Imaging and Engineering for Health
Key Progress
Key Progress
From April 2024 to March 2025, we saw growth in key metrics across the BRC,
including projects, publications, industry partnerships and funding leveraged:
326 BRC-relevant publications
403 BRC-linked research projects
102 Commercial partnerships
243 active studies
4183 participants recruited
16 Phase 1 projects, 9 first-in-human
We leveraged £48.8M of further awards and funding:
£17.6M - Research Councils
£16.8M - Research Charity
£9.7M - Department of Health and Social Care / NIHR
£3.7M - Industry Collaboratives
£1M - Other sources
Top 3 Achievements
Top 3 Achievements
IMPACT
1. Pull-through of translational research into clinical trials for new therapeutics
Our investigators have made major advances in bringing cutting-edge research closer to patient benefit.
Our pulmonary vascular disease subtheme investigators partnered with Novartis to identify promising SMURF1 inhibitors and move into a Phase 2 trial for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Our translational neuroscience theme has done ground-breaking work establishing neurofilament biomarkers for MND by getting these into the EXPERTS-ALS drug prioritisation platform, and launching a new clinical service.
We have secured £2.8 million to develop a cutting-edge genetic therapy for C9ORF72 (the most common cause of MND and frontotemporal dementia) and had FDA approval for the first-ever gene therapy trial for hereditary spastic paraplegia type 47, based on work done at SITraN in Sheffield.
INNOVATION
2. Advances in healthcare engineering
Our imaging and engineering theme in collaboration with our healthcare themes have pioneered technologies that are transforming diagnostics and treatment.
Established first-in-world clinical referral service for xenon gas MRI in the NHS.
Developed a controlled drug-delivery adhesive, paving the way to clinical use.
Sheffield-led technology for hyperpolarized xenon MRI expanded to other BRCs, forming a platform for multi-centre clinical imaging trials.
Created AI-assisted cardiac imaging to automate complex heart measurements—speeding up diagnosis, reducing staff workload, and improving patient outcomes.
Industry partnership with GE Healthcare resulting in adoption of Sheffield-developed protocols for lung MRI as a clinical product.
INCLUSION
3. Increasing research inclusion
We are committed to improving the inclusivity and representativeness of our research, to ensure we are creating outputs which reflect the needs of all communities.
We have improved ethnic minority and underserved community representation in digital health datasets, in collaboration with NIHR Birmingham BRC.
Our research inclusion team are spearheading national equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives including across NIHR infrastructures and MRC partnerships
One of our key projects, CognoSpeak™, received the global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award at Made With Patients 2024 for its culturally sensitive cognitive assessment tool. This is the first global accolade exclusively celebrating innovators in patient engagement.
We launched an EDI advice clinic to support BRC projects in integrating best practice and improving quality in inclusive research.
Collaborative Working
Collaborative Working
The Sheffield BRC continues to be a driving force for innovation and collaboration in the NIHR landscape, working with local, regional and national NIHR initiatives and infrastructure and striving to always embody the “One NIHR” vision.
Local NIHR Collaborations
Strategic partnerships with the NIHR Sheffield Clinical Research Facility and HealthTech Research Centre in Long Term Conditions (Devices for Dignity) allow sharing expertise through joint appointments, co-managed projects and initiatives, and integrated governance.
46 BRC-CRF joint projects
15 BRC-HRC joint projects
Highlights include the successful BRC/CRF Showcase in May 2024, which strengthened research connections across Sheffield.
Regional NIHR Collaborations
Sheffield BRC are a member of the:
Northern BRC Collective alongside the Northern Health Science Alliance, with Manchester/Leeds/Newcastle BRCs. The group has established effective partnerships and knowledge exchange across: Industry, Imaging, Data, Training, PPIE and the strategic Northern BRC Operations Network.
Yorkshire and Humber One NIHR group which ensures a joined-up approach to capacity building across NIHR infrastructures. Through this group the Sheffield BRC provided support to the NIHR Y&H ARC renewal submission.
Translational Research Collaborations (TRCs)
Sheffield BRC are members of and contributing to the:
Our investigators expertise supports key themes across the TRCs including cardiovascular and maternal health, digital and computer modelling, biomarker discovery and increasing capacity for early phase research.
National NIHR Collaborations
NIHR Informatics Group
Actively supporting key initiatives and working groups to support broader developments and to deliver national policies:
Secure Data Environments working group
BRC Digital Assets and Capabilities
Policy and Strategy
NIHR Imaging Group
11 Sheffield PIs and ECRs presented at the network meeting in 2025 on MRI, CT and optical imaging technologies.
We lead on a national xenon MRI clinical imaging network having provided sites at BRCs in Oxford/Cambridge/UCL/Leicester/Manchester with Sheffield generated MRI pulse sequences, RF coil solutions and xenon polariser systems for turnkey xenon MRI.
EXPERTS-ALS
Sheffield co-lead with Oxford the EXPERTS-ALS national NIHR funded programme which aims to screen candidate drugs for ALS (the commonest form of motor neurone disease) more quickly, identifying those with likely clinical benefit to prioritise for testing in larger trials.
NIHR PPIE Leads Group
Our PPIE Leads serve as co-chairs to this group, alongside Oxford BRC members.
MLTC Cross-NIHR Collaboration
One of our BRC-funded investigators (EDI co-lead) is involved in the Multiple Long-Term Conditions Cross-NIHR Collaboration as a co-lead for an inequalities cross cutting theme.
Key Strategic Partnerships
PAREXEL Alliance Site and IQVIA Northern Prime Site collaborations:
Expanding access to patients, investigator capacity development and improving efficiency/quality of clinical trials.Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA):
Collaborating with partners within NHSA in the development of the Institute for Preventative Health Research and across Data Innovation workstreams.MRC/LifeArc Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC):
Accelerating development of gene therapy programmes by partnering with industry, creating new manufacturing processes, IP for out-licensing/collaborative R&D, and producing an advanced therapies industry workforce.Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres (ATTC) Pan UK forum:
Collaborating nationally to develop innovative ATMP trial design, harnessing national expertise, and partnering with Industry to leverage the UKs position as a preferred environment for ATMP trials.
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