In 1965, Mathilda Kennedy, daughter of Michael Marks, the founder of Marks & Spencer, and her husband Terence Kennedy, founded the Mathilda and Terence Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology.
They donated £500,000 to build the Kennedy Research Institute in Hammersmith, the first institute in the world to be totally dedicated to the causes and cures of rheumatic diseases.
HRH The Princess Margaret later became Patron of the Institute.
In light of ongoing collaboration with the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC), the Institute’s management committee aligned with the Executive and Finance Committee of the ARC.
In 1984, Institute researchers Professors Marc Feldmann and Ravinder Maini started to collaborate on disease mechanisms in rheumatoid arthritis.
Cells involved in immune reaction were taken from patients’ blood and examined in cell culture. New immunological techniques allowed different types of lymphocytes to be separated and combined in different ways.
In 1985, Professors Feldmann and Maini identified Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα) as a key component in diseases of inflammation.
Professors Fionula Brennan, Maini and Feldmann and Dr Glen Buchan published a paper in the Lancet in 1989 showing TNFα causes the release of an inflammatory cytokine in joint tissues. This suggested anti-TNFα may be useful in the treatment of the disease.
In 1990, Professor Maini was appointed Director of the Kennedy Institute.
The first of a series of successful clinical trials to block TNFα in patients with rheumatoid arthritis took place in 1992. Patients experienced immediate, dramatic improvements.
The Lancet published evidence for the benefits of anti-TNFα therapy.
The method was patented in 1995 and TNFα inhibitors became the therapy of choice for treating the inflammation and tissue destruction associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
The Institute relocated to Charing Cross Hospital in 1997 and the Boards of the Kennedy Institute and the ARC were separated.
In 1999, anti-TNFα drugs were approved for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
In 2000, the Institute relocated to Imperial College. The Trust separated from the Institute and changed its name to The Mathilda and Terence Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Trust.
Professor Feldman was appointed Director of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR) in 2002.
Professors Feldman and Maini received numerous awards for their discovery of anti-TNF therapy, including the Crafoord Prize from the Royal Swedish Academy in 2000, the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award in 2003, the Paul Janssen Prize in 2008, and later the Canada Gairdner Award in 2014.
In 2011, the KIR relocated to the University of Oxford, where it subsequently moved into a new £34 million purpose-built building, co-funded by the Trust and the University.
Professor Fiona Powrie FRS was appointed Director of the KIR in 2014, with the aim of developing a world leading basic and translational inflammation sciences institution.
By 2014 there were five anti-TNFα drugs in clinical use. Three of the five top-selling drugs in the world were anti-TNFα.
The Trust currently provides funding to over 100 individuals across a number of UK universities.
We continue to support basic and translational research at the Kennedy Institute, whilst promoting investment in young scientists through our Senior Research Fellowships and MB PhD scheme.
Our longer-term objective is to achieve a meaningful impact in the development of cures and preventative treatment for musculoskeletal and related inflammatory diseases.
