Duchess of Cornwall Opens new Building at the Botnar Research Centre

A new £12m building at the University of Oxford’s Botnar Research Centre on the site of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington, has been opened by the Duchess of Cornwall. The centre carries out research into improving the treatment of arthritis, osteoporosis and other bone and joint diseases. The Duchess of Cornwall is patron of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre (NOC) Charity, which raised the money for the building.

Examples of the centre’s work on display included the demonstration of a surgical skills simulator; research on the benefits of vitamin D supplements in pregnancy to improve bone strength in children for later life; bisphosphonate drugs for osteoporosis; the development of an entirely new class of drugs for rheumatoid arthritis; and an innovative new surgical ‘biopatch’ to promote rapid regrowth of damaged tendon tissue.

The new building marks the second phase of the Botnar Research Centre, part of the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, and essentially doubles the size of the facility. The two buildings together house over 200 University researchers who work in close partnership with the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, ensuring its research is closely tied to patient care in the hospital.