Event celebrates game changing Norwich research

Researchers gathered at the Quadram Institute on 25 September for an Autumn Research Showcase.

The event celebrated “game-changing” work to improve patient care at NNUH with partners from across Norwich Research Park (NRP).

The development of poo pills to treat life-threatening recurring C.diff infections, the establishment of 4D cardiac MRI imaging science which is world leading with the potential to revolutionise the understanding of heart failure, the creation of ground breaking new technology to diagnose patients with severe dizziness with potential to benefit an even wider range of patients with neurological and vestibular conditions and the use of new type 1 glucose monitors to significantly improve outcomes for pregnant women and their babies are all projects that have been pioneered in Norwich.

The showcase was chaired by Jon Lartey, Associate Medical Director for Research, who talked about the need to accelerate our research endeavours to deliver further clinical excellence and gave an update on ongoing work, including:

• The recruitment of additional Clinical Associate Professors, which will take place next year in partnership with the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Quadram Institute Bioscience and will be open to senior doctors and non-medical clinical roles.
• We are consulting on a new research strategy for NNUH to help increase opportunities for staff and patients to get involved and be at the forefront of new healthcare innovations.
• We are also increasing our commercial portfolio in specialities such as rheumatology, orthopaedics and obstetrics and have potential new vaccine trials on the horizon.

Bernard Brett, Interim Medical Director, said: “The NNUH Board is completely committed to building a research intelligent university hospital and to refresh our research strategy to offer more patients and staff the opportunity to participate in research. There are some specialities and services that are really flying with their research initiatives and we have the opportunity to deliver even more with our prestigious partners on NRP.”

Vice Lord-Lieutenant Michael Gurney and Charlotte Crawley Deputy Lord-Lieutenant also attended the event.

The showcase heard from Prof Helen Murphy who talked about her work that has revolutionised the control of blood sugars for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes by using new technology to improve outcomes for mums and babies. The use of hybrid closed loop systems means that babies are less likely to be born early and require neonatal intensive care when blood sugars are kept under control.

Prof Pankaj Garg talked about how Norwich is leading the way with 4D flow cardiac MRI scans to create detailed images to diagnose heart disease.

Consultant ENT Surgeon John Phillips gave an update on his CAVA (Continuous Ambulatory Vestibular Assessment) device to help diagnose patients who experience dizziness and is continuing its development with a multi-centre diagnostic accuracy study.

Consultant Microbiologist Ngozi Elumogo and Prof Arjan Narbad, Translation Microbiome Group Leader at the Quadram Institute, talked about the wider potential of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) and the development of poo capsules to treat patients across the region.

Dr Marco Gasparetto, Consultant Paediatrician, is part of research taking place at NNUH and the Quadram Institute to help further enhance clinical understanding of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) amongst children and young people.

The NNUH and UEA are leading on a new study evaluating antidepressants for emotionalism after stroke (EASE), which is being run by Prof Niall Broomfield and Dr Kneale Metcalf.

Dr Catherine Gooday talked about research in diabetic foot clinic and her proposal of smart insole research to detect foot ulcers earlier.

Consultant Neonatologist Prof Paul Clarke and Isabel Iglesias-Platas, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, also talked about the trials and tribulations of running a phase 1 vaccine study and the unexpected consequences of sharing a recruitment success on social media.