History of the Research Centre
In October 2000, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, launched the Birth of Hope Appeal and the conversion of St Mary’s Hospital old canteen and Department of Pathology into ‘state-of-the art’ laboratories began.
The Manchester Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre was officially opened in March 2001 by Sir Alex Ferguson. Under the leadership of the Tommy’s Chair Professor Philip Baker with assistance from the Senior Scientist Dr Michael Taggart and four research staff it was part of a joint initiative between Tommy’s Campaign, University of Manchester, and Central Manchester Healthcare Trust. Our remit was to establish a centre of clinical and scientific excellence that sought to uncover the scientific problems at the heart of the human pregnancy complications pre-eclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction and preterm labour and to develop clear therapeutic strategies for these major pregnancy problems.
Research into major pregnancy problems has been chronically underfunded in the UK. The establishment of a Research Centre in Manchester was an initiative led by Tommy’s Campaign, in an effort to support obstetric research.
In June 2009, after eight years of operating in the old St Mary’s Hospital, the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre moved to the new St Mary’s Hospital. The state-of-the-art research laboratories will allow for more of the clinical and scientific excellence already proven by the centre.