News Article

Newcastle University Professor, Jim Edwardson, whose leadership in research on dementia and other brain disorders helped put the institution at the forefront of European scientific research, had the honour of having a new £8m scientific research centre officially named after him.

The Edwardson Building, part of the world-leading Newcastle University Institute for Ageing and Health, and a key part of Newcastle Science City, was officially opened by Minister for the North East, Nick Brown MP. 

Speaking at the launch he said:  “Today is a celebration of the work of Jim Edwardson not just in the naming of this important new facility but in its dedicated purpose. This state of the art comprehensive facility takes forward Jim’s pioneering work and underpins Newcastle’s reputation as a world leader in research on brain ageing and dementia. The emphasis on the need for inter-disciplinary research is of international importance and an area in which Newcastle is leading the way. The whole city is very proud of Jim Edwardson and his work.”

Professor Tom Kirkwood, director, Institute for Ageing and Health paid tribute to Professor Edwardson, the Institute’s founding director.  He said:  “Jim Edwardson is an outstanding scientist but more than that he was the inspiration and driving force behind the creation of the Institute for Ageing and Health.  It’s tremendously fitting that this new building is named in recognition of all that he’s done.”

Within the research and laboratory centre, which has helped create 30 research jobs, there will be specialist facilities for the Institute’s work on how the body ages, and in particular, how the brain becomes susceptible to disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Professor Edwardson, who for over 25 years was also director of a Medical Research Council Unit on the site of the new building, said “It is exciting to see these superb new facilities. I had the privilege of leading an outstanding team and am confident that with this new investment their future work will be even more important.”

Sarah Stewart, director, Newcastle Science City said: “This is an important day for Newcastle Science City as well as Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Health.  We were created to build on the outstanding research record here in the city and no-one represents that past achievement more than Professor Edwardson.  His research and strategic vision paved the way for the institute, which is now Europe’s leading research centre in studying the ageing process.

Current research projects being undertaken by the Institute include the flagship Newcastle 85+ study into people born in Newcastle and North Tyneside in 1921.  Started two years ago, this major project is following its 850 participants for five years to analyse their health in the most detailed way that has ever been undertaken.  The findings are throwing important new light on the secrets that can deliver healthier ageing.  The Institute is also conducting world-leading research into ‘systems biology’ which examines the complex ways in which parts of the body break down and how and why they repair themselves.
 
The Edwardson Building is an important step in the Campus for Ageing and Vitality’s development, a joint initiative with Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the Newcastle General Hospital site.  When it is completed in the next few years, the partners’ vision for this campus is for it to become a world-leading development, where scientists, businesses and health delivery specialists can work closely together for everyone’s mutual benefit.

ENDS