On behalf of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Theyab bin Mohamed opens Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases in Children in London
H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Sunday, opened the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases in Children in London, on behalf of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
This was made possible through a ₤60 million donation from Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, and is a collaborative partnership with the Great Ormond Street Hospital,GOSH, the University College London, UCL, and the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
Housed in a new, state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the Great Ormond Street Hospital and the UCL Institute of Child Health, the centre houses a variety of research laboratories to enable scientists to study rare diseases and develop novel treatments; a Flow Cytometry suite for the counting, storing and analysis of cells with laser technology, in addition to the latest equipment for the rapid diagnosis of genetic conditions, along with the latest scanning equipment.
The opening ceremony was attended by Mansour Abdullah Khalfan Balhoul, the UAE Ambassador to the UK; Matthew Shaw, Chief Executive of the GOSH; Ross Smith, Director of the Institute for Child Health; Ian Chivers, Director of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity; as well as children and parents.
At the opening, Sheikh Theyab said, "We look forward to achieving tangible progress in child health research through the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Diseases in Children."
He added that the centre will contribute to serving humanity through medical research and children's treatments to ensure that the next generation will see opportunities for curing rare diseases, a goal that Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is seeking to realise.
Sheikh Theyab underlined the centre's commitment to meeting its objectives and to keeping the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan alive.
The centre, which will attract hundreds of specialists and researchers in rare and complex diseases among children, will admit its first patient later this year.