Industry and Partners

Industry and Partnerships

The Centre for Fibrosis Research at the University of Leicester is a multi-disciplinary research centre investigating the mechanisms and treatment of fibrotic disease across organs. Our members work across lung, cardiac, vascular, kidney, liver, and ophthalmic fibrosis, spanning genetic epidemiology, genomics, structural and molecular biology, cell and tissue biology, engineered disease models, advanced imaging, and clinical translation.

We already work extensively with industry and welcome new partnerships.

Why work with us

Fibrotic diseases contribute to a substantial proportion of premature death and disability worldwide, with major unmet clinical need across multiple organ systems. Our Centre brings together structural, molecular, cellular, tissue, imaging, and clinical research under one leadership team, and across multiple disease areas.

Our capabilities include:

• Clinical research capability through the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Glenfield Hospital, and the Midlands ILD (MIRA) and A1ATD (MERCIA) networks.
• Disease cohorts including BPF-GILD (British Pigeon Fanciers Genetics of ILD) study of fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis in pigeon fanciers.
• Engagement with patient organisations, including Action for Pulmonary Fibrosis.
• Genetic and genomic epidemiology for target identification and patient stratification Advanced imaging — including cardiac and pulmonary MRI, and advanced fluorescence microscopy.
• Engineered cellular and 3D tissue models of fibrotic disease.
• Cell, tissue, and ex vivo human tissue studies of fibrotic disease.
• Molecular and biophysical characterisation of therapeutic targets and disease-associated proteins.
• Structural biology — X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, NMR spectroscopy, native mass spectrometry.

Our experience with industry

The Centre and its investigators have established partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies working across the fibrosis space, from small biotechs to global pharma. Our collaborations span mechanism and target validation, biomarker development, structural and biophysical characterisation, translational studies, and clinical evaluation. We also work within the broader industry engagement infrastructure of the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre.

How to partner with us

We welcome enquiries from companies interested in:

• Collaborative research on fibrosis mechanisms and targets.
• Working with our patient cohorts and disease-genetics resources on biomarker and translational studies.
• Sponsored PhD studentships and joint research programmes.
• Symposium and event sponsorship Contract research and consultancy using our cellular, tissue, imaging, molecular, biophysical, and structural biology platforms.

Get in touch

To discuss a potential partnership or explore how we can support your programme, please contact: Dr Chitra Seewooruthun [email protected].