2 September 2024

King’s College London and the Foundation for Liver Research (FLR) are pleased to announce the establishment of the Roger Williams Institute of Liver Studies (RW-ILS).

The new Institute brings together the Foundation for Liver Research’s Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology and the University’s Institute of Liver Studies, under the leadership of Prof Philip Newsome. Prof Newsome is also Director of the King’s Health Partners Centre for Translational Medicine.

The Institute represents an exciting opportunity to combine resources and research strengths across the University, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (NHS FT) and the Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology, enabling the delivery of the very highest quality liver research at scale.

The Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology – an independent research institute funded by the Foundation for Liver Research – focuses on various aspects of liver disease, spanning basic science, research technologies and translational research. With its fifty-year legacy of pioneering liver disease research, the Institute aims to break down the barriers between laboratory, clinical and critical care settings to improve outcomes for patients.

The Institute of Liver Studies, part of the University’s School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, is a clinical academic partnership between the University and King's College Hospital NHS FT. It is one of Europe’s largest comprehensive academic liver centres and is dedicated to the care of patients with all types of liver diseases. It hosts a world-renowned adult and paediatric liver transplant programme and has unparalleled expertise in the management of a variety of liver diseases.

The RW-ILS will be based at the Denmark Hill campus, as a department within the School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences.

Colonel Hamon Massey, Chairman of Trustees of the Foundation for Liver Research said:

"Uniting expertise from the two Institutes, the Roger Williams Institute for Liver Studies will allow for the integration of fundamental, translational and clinical investigative research across a wide range of liver diseases while the Board of Trustees of the FLR and its infrastructure will continue to maintain financial independence and monitor research projects. The RW-ILS will continue to build upon international collaborations established by its founding institutions and be committed to training the next generation of scientists within the field. It will bring together researchers, clinicians and professional staff, and I commend this advance."

Prof Philip Newsome, Director of the RW-ILS and Director of the King’s Health Partners Centre for Translational Medicine, said:

"This is an exciting opportunity to combine resources and deliver world-leading research that benefits our local community, and which has a global relevance."

Prof Richard Trembath, Senior Vice-President Health and Life Sciences and Executive Director, King's Health Partners, said:

“To address the significant challenges that still exist in liver related disorders, it has become evident that it is necessary to draw upon expertise, technology and wider infrastructure, that just cannot readily be resourced through any one grouping.

I am absolutely delighted that through working closely with each of the interested parties, we have now reached agreement to integrate activities, to accelerate delivery of the shared ambition, to improve outcomes for patients and their families. We seek to do this, whilst creating an outstanding environment to train the next generation of researchers, the envy of most Centres across the UK and I believe beyond.”