Celebrating research that transforms lives

The 2025 National Institute for Health and Care Research Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR GOSH BRC) Showcase recently celebrated some incredible progress made in paediatric research and how we hope this will benefit children with rare or complex conditions.

Held at the Wellcome Trust, the event brought together researchers, clinicians, patients, and partners from across the UK to reflect on research funded through the Centre. It also gave us an opportunity to look ahead at how we can improve the care for children with rare or complex conditions.

The foundation of our Centre is a longstanding partnership between Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health (UCL GOS ICH). In addition, our Paediatric Excellence Initiative partners at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, and Sheffield Children’s Hospital ensure that together, we can drive forward child health research across the country.

Professor Thomas Voit, Director of the NIHR GOSH BRC, opened the event with a powerful reflection on the centre’s achievements and its vision for the next five years. We were then treated to a fantastic line-up of speakers who showcased the breadth and impact of our research themes. We heard from a wide range of speakers, encompassing patients and young people, world leading academics and early career researchers. Topics were broad - from exciting developments in regenerative medicine, to how artificial intelligence is being used to improve experiences for staff and patients alike, accelerating novel therapies for childhood neurodegeneration, the exciting pipeline of work around gene therapies and the importance of genomic research in epilepsy.

Attendees had the chance to explore interactive exhibits and games, connect with colleagues, and hear directly from two members of the GOSH Young Person’s Advisory Group (YPAG), who shared their perspectives on involving young people in research.

We also heard from Remi, a young man who has been treated at GOSH for a rare inflammatory condition. A new gene therapy delivered from our Zayed Centre for Research has allowed him to go to university and live a life like his peers.

We were also treated to a masterclass in why it is crucial to involve young people in our research design and signposted how we can help those starting out in their research and innovation careers to embed this in their practice.

Dr Ben Jevans received the NIHR GOSH BRC Junior Faculty Early Career Researcher in Excellence in Impact Award 2025. His work in creating a focus group of families who have the rare bowel condition, Hirschsprung disease, highlight the importance of involving those affected to ensure research work truly reflect patient priorities.

The day was closed on a high by Professor Helen Cross, Director of the UCL GOS ICH, praising the array of science that had been demonstrated in the preceding presentations.

It was a brilliant afternoon of learning, sharing, and celebrating the power of research to transform lives. We are so proud of everything our BRC community has achieved—and we’re excited for what the rest of our term will bring.

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of all the speakers, who showcased just some of the NIHR GOSH BRC work, including: Professor Jane Sowden, Dr Giovanni Giobbe, Dr Arun Kelay, Professor Manju Kurian, Dr Wendy Heywood, Dr Francesca Sposito, Professor Andrew Taylor, Dr Elliot Bentine, Dr Julia Shumway, Professor Paul Gissen, Dr Rebecca Jeyeraj, Dr Julien Baruteau, Dr Amy McTague, Dr Ben Paternoster, Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, and Dr Lauren Tedaldi.