A research hub for global collaboration

For many seriously ill children, research is their only hope. Together, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (ICH) have been at the forefront of many breakthroughs in children’s medicine and our work has benefited the lives of children all over the world.

The Zayed Centre for Research brings together expertise from GOSH, ICH and the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science under one roof for the first time to work together to fight children’s rare diseases. This unique partnership forms the largest concentration of paediatric research and clinical expertise in Europe.

Within the Centre, genetic scientists are investigating how misread manuals, or instructions with mistakes, can cause rare childhood diseases. The Centre's cutting-edge genomics facilities not only help researchers to develop a stronger understanding of disease-causing genes, but also to use this understanding to improve diagnoses and treatment.

Regenerative medicine is defined as any treatment that restores normal function to tissues or organs, with an emphasis on harnessing the body's natural ability to repair itself. Treating symptoms is only a temporary solution. Tackling the root cause of disease is the path to real progress.

The Centre houses a state-of-the-art stem cell facility that allows researchers to develop new stem cell treatments for children with rare and complex conditions.

The Centre is home to the largest, dedicated clean room facility of its kind in Europe. It houses seven highly specialised labs where clinical grade cell and gene therapy-based medicines can be developed.

This incredible capability could lead to rapid development of innovative new treatment, from correcting genetic mistakes responsible for muscle wasting diseases, to modifying immune cells to target cancer.

The Centre is a catalyst for global collaboration and unique national and international partnership opportunities. Research is also unlocking invaluable treatments for more common diseases, and adult diseases, on a worldwide scale.

Most importantly, the Centre allows us to do more for children with rare diseases, save lives through more accurate diagnosis and better therapies that are tailored to each individual child in a personalised approach to treatment.

Research teams based in the Zayed Centre for Research include:

• Molecular and Cellular Immunology
• Developmental Biology and Cancer
• Genetics & Genomics Medicine
• Institute of Cardiovascular Science
• Centre for Clinical Cardiovascular Engineering
• Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Bioethics
• Blood & Marrow Transplant
• GOSH Cardiac Unit