Medical research and innovation is at the heart of healthcare. Research is vital to ensure that patients with a diverse range of diagnoses are receiving the best treatment available. Medicine is always developing thanks to the incredible work of scientists and medical researchers, including many here in Nottingham’s hospitals.
Thanks to the generosity and commitment of our donors and fundraisers, Nottingham Hospitals Charity has contributed almost £12million to research at our hospitals over the past 15 years, with one aim in mind: to help save lives and enhance patients’ well-being.
Over the years, we have supported hundreds of research projects funding specialist areas. This includes research into improving care and treatment for patients with breast cancer, a nurse-led PhD study into using volunteers to help people with dementia while in hospital and a project to improve the information parents are given when they receive the devastating news that their child has cancer.
Read on for some of the amazing things your donations have funded...

Brain tumour and chemotherapy research - Research by Professor Richard Grundy
Professor Grundy and his team developed a self-assembling and biodegradable polymer paste called PLGA/PEG, which can be moulded onto the surgical cavity created by brain tumour surgery. The paste can deliver chemotherapy at close proximity to the brain cancer cells left behind after surgery. With generous funding from the Nottingham Hospitals Charity theteam developed this chemotherapy paste and showed its effectiveness.

Breast Cancer – Research by Professor Stephen Chan
Recent Nottingham Hospitals Charity funding of £184,000 has helped Professor Chan and his team develop a method for determining whether individual patients’ tumours will respond to chemotherapy. The ultimate aim of the project is to enable clinicians to tailor their patients’ care, avoiding unpleasant side effects from unnecessary forms of treatment.