New World-Class Research Center

New World-Class Research Center

NEW WORLD-CLASS DIABETES RESEARCH CENTER

Britain's Oxford University will be home for a new diabetes
research center. Employing approximately 150 clinicians and researchers, the
Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism will integrate, under
one roof, basic and clinical research, clinical care, and scientific and patient
education in hormone-related and metabolic diseases. This "Care to Cure"
approach, as it is termed, should benefit patients by giving them faster access
to new discoveries, and it should benefit the research process as well, by encouraging
the different specialists to communicate about their work in process. Great
things are expected.
Many of the researchers are veterans in the field: Professor
Robert Turner recently completed the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study(UKPDS);
Dr. Keith Frayn is researching the causes of obesity; and Professor John Wass
leads the endocrine team. Oxford University Vice Chancellor Dr. Colin Lucas
says: "We have some of the most innovative medical researchers in the world,
who are able to translate scientific discoveries into real clinical benefit
for the patient."
But new research centers do not spring forth unbidden. There
are a lot of costs associated with the establishment and maintenance of such
a new institution. Some funding will come from the British government, through
its National Health Service, but a large part has been donated by founding partner
Novo Nordisk A/S, an international pharmaceutical company with headquarters
in Denmark. Novo Nordisk A/S is the parent of U.S. based Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals
Inc., maker of the familiar "Novolin" insulins, insulin pens, and
many other products.
In the U.S., in the U.K., and world-wide, Novo Nordisk is committed
to initiating and supporting pharmaceutical innovation, strategic partnerships,
and multi-disciplinary research toward both improving the lives of diabetics
and finding a cure for the disease. In many parts of the world, Novo Nordisk
is funding physicians' meetings and conferences, training seminars, and clinical
courses for diabetes specialists. The company also sponsors a number of research
fellowships and awards. They deserve a big "thank you" for this effort.