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Friday, July 04, 2008, 07:00
Patients across the region will soon have access to groundbreaking drugs up to four years before they hit pharmacy shelves, significantly improving their chances of survival.
This will be just one of the benefits the multi-million pound Hull and East Yorkshire Medical Research and Teaching Centre will offer when it officially opens its doors this month.
The opening of the centre, in the grounds of Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, will be the culmination of almost six years of hard work and dedication by a team of supporters and trustees of the Daisy Appeal, a former Mail charity of the year.
It will be the first dedicated facility of its kind in the area, initially holding clinical research trials into heart disease and cancer – two of the region's biggest killers.
Appeal chairman Professor Nick Stafford said: “This centre will be a lifesaver for some patients and will significantly benefit the number of people in this region with cancer and heart disease.
“There is no doubt Hull has very high incidences of cancer compared to other areas in the UK, particularly lung and colorectal cancer, and the same goes for heart disease.
“By having early access to clinical trials, we will be able to get patients exposed to treatments that otherwise would only be available to them three or four years down the line, after clinical trials have been held.”
The centre will be officially opened by opened by Health Secretary and Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson on Friday, July 25.
Mr Johnson said: “Lives will be saved here and if you put this together with the oncology centre, it will be a real cancer centre of excellence.”
The total cost of the building, including equipment and fittings, was around £7.5m. So far, £5.9m has been raised and all fundraising efforts are now being directed towards raising a further £1.5m to £2m for specialist equipment.
Prof Stafford said the centre would not have come to fruition without the overwhelming support for the Daisy Appeal of communities, businesses and hospital staff.
Professor Nick Stafford outside the new Hull and East Yorkshire Medical Research and Teaching Centre
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