Healthier
Find out more about some of the key breakthroughs we are making to transform human health and wellbeing.
Our NIHR collaborations
We have worked with our regional partners to secure well over £20 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the government’s health research arm. This funding is enabling strong collaborations to accelerate the impact of our health research and address the most pressing health and care issues for our community and beyond. In 2022 we were awarded, in partnership with the Royal Devon University healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, £15m to develop the South West Peninsula’s first NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and we have since been awarded £3 m for a new NIHR Healthtech Research Centre. Working together with NHS organisations, patients, carers and charities, this significant funding is already helping academics and clinicians to translate lab-based scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies.
Our internationally recognised Centre for Medical Mycology
We’re proud to be tackling some of the greatest healthcare challenges we’re facing now and in the future, and with more than 1.5 million deaths each year caused by fungal infections, we’re at the forefront of research into medical mycology. Of all human microbial pathogens, fungi are the least studied and understood, but our Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) enables research into clinical recognition, diagnosis and management of fungal diseases. The centre focuses on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and training the next generation of scientists in this neglected field of study, as well as on the creation and establishment of new CMM research units in Africa, Latin America and Asia, to tackle devastating fungal diseases in the worst impacted regions worldwide.
New approaches to Rehabilitation
One of the ways we’re improving human health is through our Biomedical Research Centre’s (BRC) exploration of rehabilitation. We’re using exciting new approaches in surgery, devices and therapy, to help develop a new generation of ways to improve mobility in older people and develop effective precision rehabilitation available to everybody. We’re also exploring how co-interventions such as medication and nutrition, can enhance rehabilitation outcomes across a broad range of diseases and help us develop more effective treatments.
New ways to support mental health in children and adolescents
Our research has found that one in five children and young people in the UK has a probable mental health disorder. We are a leader in the development of new approaches to prevention and intervention, as well as the vital training and expansion of the mental health workforce. Our groundbreaking work ranges from exploring triggers of mental health problems and developing new ways of preventing those problems in early childhood, to pioneering work with adolescents who have a clinical diagnosis. Our research in children’s health and wellbeing is brought together in the Children and Young People's Wellbeing @ Exeter Research Network. The network represents 16 different groups and was formed to ensure that strong collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking are at the heart of our research, for the benefit of children and young people.
National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Centre
In a University-NHS partnership we will be setting up the Westcountry’s first Biomedical Research Centre, thanks to £15million in government funding support, to translate scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for patients.
Together we aim to improve diagnosis, treatment and care, in the South West and across the world. The innovations will transform lives, improve the NHS and ensure patients receive the treatment and care that is best for them.
Find out more about the five key themes the centre will focus on
Genome sequencing
We are committed to providing a healthy future for all and we aim to be at the forefront of medical research and partnerships that improve quality of life. Working with the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, we have pioneered a rapid whole genome sequencing service which processes DNA samples of babies and children who are born or end up seriously ill in hospital. This sequencing looks at 20,000 genes to identify genetic changes that cause illness and provide a diagnosis within just 7-10 days – meaning they can start treatment straight away; saving lives and opening up the possibility for thousands more patients to be treated or even cured completely.
Find out more about the results of our pioneering research here.
Antimicrobial resistance research (AMR)
Our research stretches from fundamental lab work right through to influencing global policies. Our teams are committed to developing new ways to reduce antibiotic resistance, minimise antibiotic use, create alternative treatments, and tackle the major health and food threat from anti-fungal resistance. The prevalence of AMR in the environment starkly highlights the complex cycle of antimicrobial use and spread of resistance.
Discover how our vital research is helping the global fight against antimicrobial resistance
Dementia prevention, treatment and care research that puts people first
We specialise in new approaches to prevent and treat dementia, and to care for people who have the condition. Our people-first approach means we excel at working with people living with dementia, and together we are developing new drug therapies, new prevention approaches and better patient care. We have particular strengths in vascular dementia, as well as Alzheimer dementias and mental health, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia.
Find out more about our approach to improve care for people who have dementia
Helping clinical services treat diabetes
Our Precision Diabetes Research is transforming healthcare, helping improve lives worldwide. Our unique approach focuses on understanding the genetics and variations of diabetes, getting the best treatment options for the patient, as quickly as possible. We have discovered 25 different types of diabetes which are caused by changes in a single gene and this has allowed diagnosis and treatment to be transformed, including genetics and optimised treatment for all diabetes types. Making the right diagnosis is the first step to the best treatment and our team provides genetic testing for 207 countries and has excelled in developing diagnostic tools that are used by clinicians throughout the world..
