Dr Susan Campbell
SHU press release
Sheffield Hallam University’s Dr Susan Campbell has been awarded a grant of more than £189,000 from Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, and Sparks, the children’s medical research charity, to fund research into the advancement of treatment of Vanishing White Matter Disease (VWMD).
The grant is part of a £2.1 million investment into child health research projects across the UK led by the two charities – the largest annual charitable call dedicated to funding research into child health conditions.
Dr Campbell, senior lecturer in biosciences, will investigate whether monitoring the specific distribution pattern of molecules affected in VWMD could pave the way to faster, less invasive diagnosis and treatments for this rare and devastating brain condition where brain cells are damaged and depleted.
Dr Campbell said: “I am delighted to have received funding from GOSH Charity and Sparks which will enable us to further our research to help children with this disease. It’s fantastic to know that these charities are making such a large amount available for child health researchers across the UK to bid for each year.”
This project is a collaborative project between Dr Campbell and Dr Liz Allen, senior lecturer in biomedical science, within the University’s Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre. The project is a development of a PhD carried out by Rachel Hodgson at Sheffield Hallam with Rachel also acting as lead researcher on the grant.
The project will also involve collaborations with The University of Sheffield, VU University in The Netherlands, University of Leeds and University of Cambridge.
Kiki Syrad, director of grants and impact at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, said: “We were delighted to receive a large number of high-quality applications from the UK paediatric research community on a range of diseases. For many children, research is their only hope. We look forward to seeing how Dr Campbell’s project progresses, and the call re-opening later in 2019.”
Sheffield Hallam University is a national leader in creating innovative and real-world solutions for tackling today’s health and wellbeing challenges.
The University is the largest provider of health and social care education in England. With courses covering all aspects of healthcare, including nursing, midwifery, allied health, social care and sport, its curriculum creates the skilled workforce the NHS needs to deliver better long-term health outcomes for the nation.
The University specialises in healthcare research and its practitioners, scientists, engineers and designers regularly collaborate to create innovative solutions to global health challenges.
For press information:Tim Ward in the Sheffield Hallam University press office on 0114 225 5220 or email tim.ward@shu.ac.uk
