Leicester’s tuberculosis research boosted by six-figure funding for lab equipment
The University of Leicester’s research into tuberculosis has been bolstered with a six-figure grant to fund new lab technology.
The £286,000 grant from the Wolfson Foundation will be spent on live cell imaging equipment in the University’s Department of Respiratory Sciences.
Led by Professor David Cousins, the department is an internationally leading applied research group for respiratory disease, addressing everything from asthma to TB.
TB is one of the world’s most prevalent infectious diseases impacting over 10 million people per year, while sadly the highest incidence in the UK is recorded in Leicester. The Foundation’s support will therefore have impact both locally and globally, enabling Prof Cousins’ expanding team to purchase high specification equipment which ensures the University continues to make significant strides in combatting tuberculosis.
Professor Cousins said: “This investment from the Wolfson Foundation will enable us to purchase a new ‘lung-on-a-chip’ system, which models the human lung in the lab, and an advanced fluorescence microscope for our TB laboratories. Together, this new equipment will transform our ability to understand the mechanisms by which the bacteria invades human cells, and also to test the effectiveness of new treatments to cure TB before planning clinical trials.”
University President and Vice Chancellor, Professor Nishan Canagarajah, said: “The eradication of tuberculosis by 2030 remains a challenging goal. Our world-leading research is delivering on this mission through our global collaborations and NHS partners as it puts our tuberculosis researchers in a unique position performing translational research truly from bedside to bench, and back. This generous grant can transform our understanding of tuberculosis and we are grateful to the Wolfson Foundation for helping in our journey towards world-changing research in this important area of medicine.”
The Wolfson Foundation is an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Its aim is to support civil society by investing in excellent projects in science, health, heritage, humanities and the arts. Since it was established in 1955, some £1 billion (£2 billion in real terms) has been awarded to more than 14,000 projects throughout the UK, all on the basis of expert review.
Director of Advancement at the University, Steve Corbett, said: “This is an important time for philanthropy at Leicester, and we are proud to have the Foundation’s support as we build towards the public launch of the University’s first-ever, large-scale fundraising campaign – 2121: Founders of the Future. Celebrating the story of our first 100 years in 2021 set a high bar, and has inspired our ambitions for an even more impactful second century. As one of the country’s leading philanthropic organisations, we look forward to announcing Wolfson as one of our ‘founders of the future’, at our early 2026 launch event.”