Lions International Blood Research Appeal (LIBRA) has awarded a generous grant of £249,000 to the Acorns to Oaks Appeal for Cellular Therapy, of which this is the first instalment. LIBRA has supported King’s for over 33 years and have helped raise funds towards developing life saving treatments for our patients.

The donation will help purchase cutting edge diagnostic equipment for the haematology laboratory when it moves to its new location in the Clinical Research Facility, currently under construction on the King's site.

Professor Farzin Farzaneh, Professor of Molecular Medicine at King’s, said: “The grant will enable us to purchase specialist equipment needed to drive research and development forward at the Trust. We will use the funds to purchase a machine that will help analyse cell structure, and find out how they are generated - crucial in cell therapy. This is great news for the research teams involved, and we are very grateful to the LIBRA Trustees and their fundraisers for their support over the years.”

Andrew Lodge, LIBRA Chairman, added: “We are proud to support King’s and help fund equipment for vital research efforts that are sure to have long-lasting impact. Over the last 33 years, LIBRA’s sole purpose has been to raise funds for the Department of Haematological Medicine. The appeal started in 1976 and this is the second major grant that has been awarded – the first grant was given to help establish the Department in 1982 - and we are delighted that our work continues to benefit King’s”.

Lion Eddy Warn who is responsible for handling the grant and also a King’s patient, visits the hospital every year for the treatment of Gaucher’s disease. He said: “I see the dedication and the great work that takes place at King’s from first hand experience. The service I’ve received has been second to none and it’s great to give something back. We continue to raise funds for the haematology department and look forward to helping to equip the new Clinical Research Facility, Earlier this month, the haematology service at King’s was also made a Centre of Excellence by the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.