Highlands gets cutting-edge research centre
Three professors with Highland connections have returned to the region’s capital to open a cutting-edge research centre.
The wound healing and lymphedema research centre is based at the Life Sciences Innovation Centre at the Inverness Campus.
Professors Jenni MacDonald, Steven Jeffery and David Gray all work at the NHS Pioneer Wound Healing and Lymphoedema Centres across England.
Pioneer is developing the ‘go to’ organisation for UK healthy volunteer research studies from its new centre in Inverness.
For this type of research, healthy volunteers (those who do not have wounds or lymphoedema) attend a pioneer centre and agree to use a new product, such as dressings or bandages, to test them before they are approved for the market and then become available for patients to use.
Lymphoedema is a long-term condition that causes swelling in the body's tissues. It can affect any part of the body, but usually develops in the arms or legs.
Prof MacDonald, who grew up in Inverness and is a former pupil of Charleston Academy, said: “It’s very nostalgic coming home after 10 years down south.
“I can’t explain how proud I am to lead the team that delivers the best wound healing rates for patients in the UK and equally as proud to bring innovation and research home with me to the Highlands.”
Prof Jeffery is also an ex-pupil of Charleston Academy and did work experience in the old Craig Phadrig Hospital before leaving Inverness to go to medical school over 40 years ago.
After a full career in the Army, where he served around the world as a burns and plastic surgeon, Prof Jeffery joined Pioneer as medical director.
He said: “I’m looking forward to bringing cutting-edge wound research to Inverness.”
Prof Gray was previously nurse consultant in Raigmore Hospital for three years before leaving in 2015 to lead a wound healing and lymphoedema service in Sussex.
He has been a specialist in tissue viability since taking up his first post in Aberdeen in 1994 and since then has worked in South East Asia, Latin America as well as in services across England.
He said: “I’m delighted to be part of a team co-ordinating global research from the Highlands.”
April Conroy, from Highlands and Islands Enterprise which is developing the campus, said: “The life sciences cluster at the Inverness Campus is going from strength to strength.
“We’ve welcomed five new tenants here in the past three months alone and there are more coming in Q1. It’s great to see Pioneer joining the cluster with their world-leading research centre here and we look forward to getting to know the organisation as they settle into the campus.”
