About the Zayed Centre for Research

The creation of the Zayed Centre for Research has brought together hundreds of clinicians and researchers under one roof to drive forward new treatments and cures for children with rare and complex diseases.Designed by award-winning architects, Stanton Williams, the state-of-the-art centre was completed in 2019. Adjacent to Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, it houses the latest technologies in a flexible space that acts as a vibrant and collaborative hub.

• Major new good manufacturing practice (GMP) suite including 7 specialist clean rooms for the production of clinical grade gene and cell therapies and a simulation suite for education and training. The facility is the largest single academic manufacturing unit for gene and cell therapies in the UK and one of the largest in the world.
• Main laboratory with 140 dedicated benches for early development work to test the safety and efficacy of potential new treatments and a second lab housing the genomics team.
• 9 Tissue culture rooms for testing potential new treatments on cells grown in the laboratory.
• Flow Cytometry suite for rapidly identifying and sorting different types of cell from one another.
• Cardiac research suite where researchers can produce 3D models of the heart, an invaluable resource for exploring new treatments and devices tailored to each child’s heart.
• A much-needed new outpatients clinic with child friendly consultation rooms, a sensory room, interactive artworks and educational activities suitable for our patients.
• Research write-up areas, meeting rooms and spaces to allow our scientists and medical teams to collaborate and progress with their work.

• By developing genetic expertise that will increase the understanding of disease-causing genetic mistakes to improve diagnoses and treatment.
• By developing pioneering regenerative medicine techniques in a state-of-the-art stem cell therapy facility to replace, engineer or regenerate human cells, tissues and organs to help change the lives of children with birth defects and other inherited conditions from blindness to digestive disorders
• By developing revolutionary gene therapy approaches to correct genetic mistakes offering transformative and potentially curative treatment for a wide range of rare and complex childhood conditions
• A State-of-the-art stem cell facility will develop new treatments for children with conditions from blindness to nerve disorders

Learn more about the mission of the Zayed Centre for Research.