Children in the UK with autism will soon benefit from ground-breaking studies carried out by a new research centre.
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) has launched the research centre within Colchester Hospital.
The NHS facility is known as the Synapse Centre for Neurodevelopment.
Dr Ben Marlow: “The Synapse Centre will seek to innovate and bring together the NHS, academia and the biotech industry”
It will focus on lifelong neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism and cerebral palsy.
Experts come together
Paediatricians, speech and language specialists, clinical psychologists, physiotherapists and researchers from ESNEFT will all come together at the centre.
These experts will add to the Trust’s established research and development programme by translating biomedical research into practical therapies.
The team will also work alongside local universities and industry leaders. The aim will be to explore new approaches that could benefit young patients and their families.
Focus on brain development
The centre will focus on biological processes that affect brain development. These areas will include bacterial imbalances in the gut, the role of the immune system, and metabolism.
The centre will also explore common co-morbidities linked with neuro-disabling conditions. These include gastrointestinal problems, seizures and sleep disturbance.
Another area of the centre’s focus will be on new behavioural approaches.
Parents will influence research centre’s work
The centre will have a parents’ network that will influence its work. The network will meet regularly to help identify further themes for research.
This will ensure that staff carry out studies that are driven by local need.
Regular webinars and journal clubs will be held for junior doctors from the east of England. The idea is to encourage more of them to pursue a career in the specialty.
‘We are incredibly excited’
The centre’s clinical director is Ben Marlow, an ESNEFT consultant paediatrician.
He said: “We are incredibly excited that ESNEFT is leading the way in this important area through the launch of the Synapse Centre.
“The Synapse Centre will seek to innovate and bring together the NHS, academia and the biotech industry to understand more about the factors which affect brain development in these young patients.
“Neuro-disabling conditions have a significant impact on both children and their families throughout their entire lives. These children suffer from many associated health problems that can significantly impair quality of life and be life-limiting.”
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Published: 31 July 2020
