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The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research is a registered UK charity[1] which funds the Kennedy Institute as well as a range of individual UK university-based researchers. Its longer-term objective is to "achieve a meaningful impact in the development of cures and preventative treatment for musculoskeletal and related inflammatory diseases".[2]

Formation of Trust

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In 1965, Mathilda Kennedy, daughter of Michael Marks and her husband Terence Kennedy, founded the Mathilda and Terence Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.[3]

The Kennedys became interested in rheumatism after their general practitioner Dr Leslie Lankester was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.[4]

The Kennedy Trust was registered as a charity in 1970.[5]

Kennedy Institute

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Formation of Institute

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Mathilda and Terence Kennedy donated £500,000 to found the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology in Hammersmith, the first institute in the world to be totally dedicated to the causes and cures of rheumatic diseases.[6]

Governance

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The first director of the Kennedy Institute was Professor Dugald Gardner.[7] Succeeding directors included Dr Leonard Glynn,[8] Professor Helen Muir,[9] Professor Ravinder Maini,[10] Professor Marc Feldmann[11] and Professor Fiona Powrie.[12]

Development of the Institute

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In 2000, the institute's staff and research activities were incorporated into Imperial College as a division of its newly formed Faculty of Medicine.[13]

In 2011, the Kennedy Institute became part of the University of Oxford as an independent constituent Institute within the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Science (NDORMS).[14] In 2013 the Institute moved into a new building co-funded by the Kennedy Trust and the University of Oxford.[15]

Achievements

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In the mid-1980s, discoveries made by teams led by Ravinder Maini and Marc Feldmann, led the way to anti-TNF therapy being used as a successful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.[6]

Archives

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The archives of the Kennedy Trust are held at Wellcome Collection (ref no: SA/KET).

References

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  1. ^ "THE KENNEDY TRUST FOR RHEUMATOLOGY RESEARCH - Charity 260059". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  2. ^ "The Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research - Home".
  3. ^ Mitchell, Fiona (2016). "Profile: Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Oxford, UK". The Lancet. 388 (10055): 1972. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31900-6. ISSN 0140-6736.
  4. ^ Lord, Annie (2023-02-02). "Clinical Cataloguing: Processing the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research Archive". Medium. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  5. ^ "THE KENNEDY TRUST FOR RHEUMATOLOGY RESEARCH - Charity 260059". register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  6. ^ a b "Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research". www.kennedy.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  7. ^ "Obituary: Dugald Gardner, respected pathologist and conservator of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh". The Scotsman. 2019-04-29.
  8. ^ Denman, A. M. (2006). "Leonard Glynn 1910–2005". Rheumatology. 45 (7): 927–928. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kel085.
  9. ^ "Muir, (Isabella) Helen Mary (1920–2005), biochemist". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/96567. Retrieved 2024-06-15. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  10. ^ "Prof. Sir Ravinder Maini". HSTalks. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  11. ^ "Professor Sir Marc Feldmann FRS - Somerville College Oxford". www.some.ox.ac.uk. 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  12. ^ "Fiona Powrie". University of Birmingham. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  13. ^ "A timeline of College developments | About | Imperial College London". www.imperial.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  14. ^ "The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford". Make Architects. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  15. ^ "Princess Royal to open Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-15.

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