Hundreds of visitors to the Westgate Centre were able to learn more about world class healthcare research in Oxford this week.

The Westgate’s Leiden Square was taken over by the city’s two NIHR Biomedical Research Centres on Wednesday, May 10, as researchers showed members of the public the work that was being done to tackle health conditions as diverse as cancer, dementia, asthma, diabetes, infection, sleep problems and genetic diseases.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the UK’s largest funder of health and care research.

Oxford Mail: Members of the public get involvedMembers of the public get involved (Image: OUH)

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NIHR Biomedical Research Centres are collaborations between universities and NHS organisations that bring together academics and clinicians to translate scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies that benefit NHS patients.

NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centres comprises of a partnership between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals.

Oxford Mail: Professor John Geddes taking partProfessor John Geddes taking part (Image: NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre)

The NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centres is different and includes a partnership between the University of Oxford and the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

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The Oxford Biomedical Research Centres Director, Professor Helen McShane, said it was “heartening to see members of the public find out about how they can get involved in our clinical trials”.

She added: “This was such a fun event. It’s so pleasing to see members of the public coming to speak directly with our researchers and find out about what we are doing to expand our understanding of a range of medical conditions and technologies so that we can improve diagnosis, treatment and care for NHS patients”.

Oxford Mail: Members of the public asked how they could get involved with future trialsMembers of the public asked how they could get involved with future trials (Image: OUH)

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Professor John Geddes, Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centres Director, said it was “great to see people taking time out of their day to find out about what we are doing, and how they can get involved in our studies”.