The donation will help scientists and clinicians collaborate and make new advances in research
Imperial College London (ICL) has received a £10m donation from the Victor Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation to advance heart and lung research at ICL’s Hammersmith Hospital Campus.
The donation will help to refurbish the Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh building and create the Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Graduate Centre for Respiratory and Cardiac Sciences at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI).
In addition, a further £2.5m donation will support the establishment of Dr Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Graduate Fellowships over the next three years.
Affecting around 6.4 million people in England, cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease are conditions of the heart or blood vessels, while respiratory disease, which affects the airways and other structures of the lungs, is the third biggest cause of death in England, according to NHS figures.
The new refurbishment will offer more than 3,500 square metres of research and teaching facilities for ICL researchers and will co-locate the majority of ICL’s cardiac and respiratory specialists to encourage deeper collaborations within the NHLI and lead to new advances.
In addition, the new base at ICL’s White City Campus will provide the opportunity for collaboration among researchers, businesses and entrepreneurs within the life sciences ecosystem.
Professor Hugh Brady, president, ICL, commented: “The new home for our lung researchers will make it easier for scientists and clinicians to collaborate and to make advances that transform the lives of people with respiratory conditions around the world.”
Dahdaleh is a Canadian philanthropist who has been recognised for his charitable work in education, health-related research and socio-economic development for over two decades as part of the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Charitable Foundation.
Dahdaleh said: “The… Foundation is proud to continue its support of and association with ICL through these latest gifts to the NHLI to promote respiratory science and cardiology.
“The new Graduate Centre and associated Graduate Fellowships will also continue… supporting people to further their education in these important areas of research.”
