NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre

The problem Common long-term conditions (LTCs), such as heart (cardiovascular), lung (respiratory) and metabolic (e.g. diabetes) diseases and cancer, are a serious challenge for patients and the teams treating them. One in four adults lives with an LTC. Multiple long-term conditions (MLTCs; where a person has two or more LTCs) are also increasingly common.

Ethnic minority groups are more likely than White individuals to have LTCs and MLTCs, and worse outcomes because of them.

We need to better understand the causes of these conditions, and how lifestyles (e.g. exercise, diet) and the environment (e.g. air pollution, noise) affect them to improve prevention and management.

What we will do We will focus on six research Themes (cardiovascular; respiratory and infection; lifestyle; cancer; environment; data innovation for MLTCs and ethnic health) to improve prevention and management of LTCs and MLTCs.

Key activity areas will support these themes: patient and public involvement, underserved communities and personalised medicine (finding the right treatment for an individual).

Why we can do it With over ten years experience as a Biomedical Research Unit then a Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) in one of the UK s largest and most ethnically-diverse hospitals, our internationally-recognised research is supported by strong partnerships with two universities and a further NHS partner.

For every £1 investment in our current BRC, we have generated £10 of new funding from research grants. As a result, we have grown our research teams, facilities and expertise. Our new BRC brings together over 165 highly-skilled researchers, most of whom also deliver clinical services.

Our cardiovascular, respiratory and lifestyle Themes build on recognised excellence in our current BRC, with our respiratory Theme evolving into respiratory and infection.

The other three Themes are new and work within our renowned expertise in MLTCs and ethnic health, cancer treatment and prevention, and environmental health. We make sure our research translates into better treatment and care for patients. Our state-of-the-art facilities are close to where care is delivered, so we can make the most difference.

Our vision/goals Our research will be innovative and world-class, making a difference to people s lives and health, by providing the right treatment (drug, device and/or lifestyle therapy) to the right person at the right time. We aim to prevent LTCs and MLTCs, and provide better management and quality-of-life where prevention is not possible.

We will focus on research for underserved communities, work with our NHS partners and local communities, and train and support at least 45 rising star researchers to become the next generation of leading scientists. Involving people with LTCs/MLTCs Our patient and public involvement in our current BRC has been highly acclaimed.

To make sure our planned BRC matched people s priorities, we undertook a 16-month consultation project with local communities and used creative activities to engage with under-served groups.

We will further expand our patient involvement by continuing to try out new ways to involve different communities, understanding the impact of our patient involvement on research and people's health, and sharing good practice around patient involvement.