- 325 walkers and more than 100 volunteers took part in the Big Walk 2022, helping to raise £73,000 for genetic disease research at the University of Sheffield
- Funds raised will go towards a state-of-the-art bioreactor, which will accelerate life-saving gene therapy treatments from the lab into clinical trials
Staff, students, alumni and friends of the University of Sheffield have raised £73,000 for life-saving medical research after participating in a marathon walk across the Peak District.
More than 300 people took part in the Big Walk 2022, and 3,345 people donated to support the University's world-leading genetic disease research.
The funds raised will contribute to the £200,000 needed to build a bioreactor at the University's new Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC), located at the University of Sheffield's Innovation District.
The new bioreactor will help researchers find new treatments for genetic diseases such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), dementia and other rare inherited diseases.
Professor Mimoun Azzouz, Chair of Translational Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield and Director of the GTIMC, said: "Gene therapies are pioneering medical advances. They have the potential to offer much-needed treatments for many rare and incurable diseases that cannot be treated by conventional drug compounds. I'm very proud that Sheffield is one of the leading players in gene therapy in the world."
