Support our research

King’s has a long and distinguished international reputation when it comes to turning research into action and giving knowledge a purpose. Our focus is on making a real difference to the people who need it most, from those in our diverse local, London population, to individuals on the other side of the world.

Here we share some of the diverse areas where your support could help to drive our research forward and maximise impact around the world.

Driving seismic shifts in medicine

Medicine currently cures remarkably little, and for many long-term conditions it is about controlling, arresting or slowing progression. Now, a new wave of treatments based on genes, cells or tissues – known as advanced therapies – offer the very real hope of delivering transformative cures across a huge range of diseases and injuries

For example, sickle cell disorder is a painful and life-threatening condition that has suffered from decades of research under-investment, resulting in a lack of effective treatments. Now, research at King’s could hold the hope of not only treatment but cure, through cutting-edge therapies that correct or compensate for the disorder’s underlying genetic cause

Every year, more than 100,000 people are hospitalised due to heart attacks. Another area of ground-breaking research at King’s aims to reduce their devastating impact, by finding innovative new ways to regenerate damaged heart muscle.

Our researchers are also giving hope to people who have lost body functions due to spinal cord injuries, with a world-first gene therapy that could give someone back the use of their hands, return their bowel and bladder control, or allow them to breathe without a ventilator – with profound implications for independence and quality of life.

King’s is home to one of the leading dental faculties in the world. Here, we’re researching how fine-tuning the mouth’s microbiome – bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms – could help to treat or even prevent disease, with potential applications ranging from cancer to dementia. We’re bringing together basic science, clinical insight, computational biology and artificial intelligence to understand the complex interactions at play and open the door to a new era of personalised medicine.

Shaping a more equitable future for all 

Research shows that gender equality will secure benefits for the whole of society, from healthier and safer communities, to economic success and stronger democracies. And yet, current strategies to drive change are not working. One of the challenges is robustly evidencing the gaps and barriers, and proving what works. This approach lies at the heart of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership (GIWL), which is working towards a world in which women of all backgrounds have fair and equal access to leadership, while also challenging ideas of what leadership looks like.

Our engineering teams are harnessing state-of-the-art King’s facilities to develop and test new technologies that address today’s biggest challenges. All of their research is rooted in sustainability themes, seeking to address global issues highlighted by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: from energy challenges and healthcare inequalities, to agricultural labour shortages and food insecurity.

Help us make progress

Your support has the power to change and save lives. Join us and we’ll be able to accelerate transformational projects like these and benefit people across the world. Or perhaps you’ll even benefit from our work closer to home when a new cure or treatment gives hope to someone in your life.

Donate today.