Our BTRU focuses on the clinical pathway from
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Improving outcomes for patients by increasing the number and improving the quality of organs for transplantation
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Building collaborations between leading scientists and clinicians and developing future researchers in transplantation
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Providing a flourishing environment for the active and meaningful involvement of patients and the public in our work
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Reducing the demand for re-transplantation through improved donor–recipient compatibility
About Us
The National Institute for Health Research Blood and Transplant Research Unit (NIHR BTRU) in Organ Donation and Transplantation is a strategic partnership between the University of Cambridge and Newcastle University, and their associated organ transplant units, and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). Our unit provides a centre of excellence dedicated to research into organ donation and transplantation. The overarching aim is to develop and evaluate novel approaches and technologies that will increase the availability of suitable donor organs for transplantation, while improving graft survival.
Launched on 1 October 2015, the unit is funded by the NIHR and led by Professor Mike Nicholson (Director, Cambridge) and Professor Andy Fisher (Deputy Director, Newcastle). Our initial funding was £3.8M over five years. In recognition of the success of our research programme, we were subsequently awarded a further £1.15M to fund the unit through to March 2022.
Patients and the wider public have a pivotal role to play in our work. Through our Get involved programme we ensure that the research questions we explore are the ones that matter and that can make a difference to patients’ everyday lives. We work closely with patients and the public to create a dynamic research environment, with a shared commitment to the importance and value of research, the engagement and involvement of patients and the public and to the effective and timely translation of evidence into clinical practice.
We are also committed to education and training, creating an environment that attracts the best young doctors and scientists and helps them develop into the future leaders in transplantation research to leave an appropriate legacy beyond the current research programme.
