The Quadram Institute Clinical Seedcorn Fund was first established in 2021/2022 to help clinicians develop research ideas with scientists at the Quadram Institute. The fund supports secondments of NHS staff to Quadram Institute laboratories and associated research costs.

Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB) in partnership with the Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals Charity have provided £150,000 each to jointly fund £300,000 of new collaborative projects that sit at the basic/clinical research interface.

The seven clinical research projects funded this year are:

• The role of the gut microbiome in pregnancy – Dr Antonietta Hayhoe and Prof Jonathan Lartey
• Characterising the microbiome in relation to cholestatic liver disease – Dr Naiara Beraza and Dr Simon Rushbrook
• Vitamin B12 and folate sufficiency in very pre-term babies at the time of discharge home – Prof Martin Warren and Dr Isabel Iglesias-Platas
• Bloodstream infection diagnosis using metagenomics – Dr Matthew Gilmour and Dr Ngozi Elumogo
• Establishment of an Oral Biorepository – Dr Jennifer Ahn-Jarvis and Prof John Phillips
• Use of organ-on-chip technology to address resistance to fungal infection in women – Dr Emily Jones and Dr Paul Simpson
• Decreasing risk of urinary tract infections in Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients – Prof Alison Mather and Dr Jason Cheung

Applications were assessed by a panel drawn from across NNUH, QIB and the UEA and considered applications for potential patient benefit, quality, feasibility, extent of collaboration, innovation and value for money.

Bernard Brett, NNUH Medical Director said: “Our hospital is working with our Norwich Research Partners including the Quadram Institute to strengthen our contribution to research that can positively impact on the lives or our population and patients. The NNUH is one of the four partners in the Quadram Institute and working together the Partnership is serving to increase knowledge and deliver benefits for our patients. This is important work, and we are delighted that our hospitals charity is supporting the research and innovation of NNUH clinicians working alongside scientists from the Quadram Institute. Congratulations to the successful teams whose projects have been accepted for funding, I look forward to seeing the results of these studies in the future.”

Quadram Institute interim Director Prof Martin Warren said: “It’s great to see NNUH clinicians working with scientists at the Quadram to understand more about some of the healthcare challenges they face daily, and how we can understand and then tackle them for the benefit of patients.”

About the Quadram Institute

The Quadram Institute is a partnership between Quadram Institute Bioscience, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the University of East Anglia and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Its mission is to deliver healthier lives through innovation in gut health, microbiology and food and its vision is to understand how food and microbes interact to promote health and prevent disease.

Interconnected research themes in Quadram Institute Bioscience deliver a pipeline of research in plants, microbes, food, and health: microbes and food safety; the gut and the microbiome; and food innovation. The Quadram Institute is also home to the BBSRC-funded Food and Nutrition National Bioscience Research Infrastructure, and the National Collection of Yeast Cultures.

About the N&N Hospitals Charity

The N&N Hospitals Charity is registered with the Charity Commission (reg no 1048170) and is the primary charity associated with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Its vision is to support our hospitals to provide the best care for patients, through:
• funding additional facilities and equipment;
• supporting the development and wellbeing of Trust staff;
• enabling research, innovation and improvement for patient benefit.

In the last five years the Charity has granted awards of £15.3m to fund equipment, facilities, courses, projects and posts to support patient care, education for staff and research and innovation. The Charity is reliant on the ongoing generosity of our donors and supporters.

• To find out more about the N&N Hospitals Charity or to make a donation please visit the N&N Hospital Charity website