Princess Anne: British Royalty visits Sheffield making stops at the AMRC, Forgemasters and others

Princess Anne took a full tour of Sheffield University’s new Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC) and spoke to a number of researchers and patients about life-changing therapies.

Dharmisha Stezaly, whose son Sebastian has Spinal Muscular Atrophy - a motor neuron disease - told The Star that without the treatment her son would likely only live to around two-years-old, but today they are planning for the future with him, now three-and-a-half years of age.

“The gene therapy Zolgensma has changed our lives in an immeasurable way,” said Dharmisha.

“At the time of administration, we didn’t know what the future held. But Sebastian has gone from strength to strength and is such a joy - I am incredibly proud and privileged to be his parent.

“I look forward to a day, where newborn screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy is nationwide, allowing faster access to this gene therapy, which can be considered curative when administered early enough.”

The GTIMC brings together leading researchers, clinicians, and industry partners to accelerate the translation of groundbreaking gene therapy research into clinical trials. By replacing, silencing, or manipulating faulty genes, these therapies offer hope for patients with conditions such as adult and childhood forms of motor neuron diseases, cystic fibrosis and haemophilia.

Professor Mimoun Azzouz, Director of the GTIMC, said: “We’re delighted that Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, has been able to meet some of our researchers and patients to learn more about the life changing work happening here at the University of Sheffield.

“This is a momentous milestone for revolutionary medical advances not only for Sheffield and South Yorkshire, but also for the UK.”

Earlier in the day, Princess Anne visited Sheffield Forgemasters to see how the 200-year-old company was investing in “state-of-the-art” facilities

Her Royal Highness was given a tour of the Brightside Lane facilities, seeing heavy forging operations, meeting employees from all levels of the 675 strong workforce and was briefed on the dramatic recapitalisation taking place across the site.

The visit follows in the footsteps of Queen Victoria, King George V, Queen Elizabeth II and the then Prince of Wales (now King Charles III), who all visited the Brightside Lane site.

The Princess also arrived at E.ON’s Blackburn Meadows renewable energy plant during her busy and in-depth visit to the Steel City.

Jess Dhariwal, plant manager at Blackburn Meadows, said:“We’ve been part of the Sheffield skyline for over a decade now and the team is immensely proud to show off the work we do and the investments we’ve made in generating energy in and for Sheffield.

“It was wonderful to tell The Princess Royal about the developments we have in place here: from battery storage to potentially developing hydrogen for the city’s steel manufacturers, and our recently announced proposals for a new heat network into the city. With Sheffield’s bold steps to become a zero-carbon city by 2030 there is huge opportunity for the city and it is hugely encouraged to see it all coming to life.”