Our research transforms cutting-edge ideas into reality.
We underpin the nation’s research workforce, uniting industry and academia to support tomorrow’s experts and address health and care challenges.
Our evidence advances scientific understanding and enhances the UK’s reputation across the world.
Here in Leicester, we have links with a range of industry partners and continue to seek collaborators that share our determination to make advances in medicine to improve patients’ lives.
Our BRC has an exemplary track-record and critical mass of research excellence in cardiovascular, respiratory and lifestyle-related metabolic disease.
We use Precision Medicine across these important disease areas to improve our understanding of disease heterogeneity, the molecular mechanisms underpinning it and the translation of discovery into novel and personalised interventions.
With industry partners we accelerate the discovery, development and evaluation of precise and tailored therapies, diagnostics and devices whilst advancing health opportunities and maximising patient participation to benefit citizen health.
Our excellent relationships with Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), East Midlands Academic Health Sciences Network (EM-AHSN) and the Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Research Collaboration (ARC-EM) provides a translational pipeline that will enable us to realise this ambition.
Find out how you can collaborate with the Leicester BRC.
Case study
New funding will extend use of pioneering genetic tool developed by Leicester researchers
Through collaboration with Finnish pharmaceutical company, Orion Pharma, NIHR Leicester BRC researchers have secured additional funding to widen the use of their powerful tech tool DeepPheWAS to improve our understanding of the genetic basis of health conditions in diverse populations.
The new funding will allow Dr Richard Packer and his team to develop DeepPheWAS for the one million participant American study, All of Us.
DeepPhewas has been integrated into Orion’s research and development pipeline, playing a central role in most of their projects. The tool has now supported completed and ongoing research projects in many different disease areas.
Dr Packer reflects: “The integration of DeepPheWAS by Orion and their continual investment in its development highlights the expertise we bring to the table.”
The collaborative research grew, most recently with an extension to March 2026 to develop DeepPheWAS for the American cohort study, All of Us, bringing the total investment to £1.46 million.
The use of DeepPheWAS in the diverse one-million participant All of Us project and in other biobanks will enable even more impactful studies, offering fresh insights into genetic determinants of disease and advancing drug development in different populations.