Record-breaking donation to CP centre at Mary Elizabeth's Hospital

The Elsass Foundation is donating DKK 77 million to research into CP in children and young people, and to the establishment of a new CP centre at Mary Elizabeth's Hospital. The donation will raise the standard of treatment in Denmark and internationally.

With a landmark donation of DKK 77 million to Rigshospitalet's upcoming Mary Elizabeth's Hospital, the Elsass Foundation aims to help strengthen earlier and more targeted treatment for newborns, children and young people with cerebral palsy (CP).

In 2017, the Elsass Foundation donated funds to establish a CP clinic at Rigshospitalet, including a silent MRI scanner and training facilities.

A donation from the Foundation in 2021 also made it possible to create two professorships, meaning the clinic is today led by professors Jakob Lorentzen and Christina Høi-Hansen from the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet, who will continue to serve as a primary point of reference for all Danish patients with the diagnosis.

The new grant is the Foundation's largest single donation and builds on the 2017 and 2021 donations that laid the groundwork for the upcoming centre for cerebral palsy at Mary Elizabeth's Hospital.

"We are both pleased and proud that the grant contributes to the establishment of a centre for CP connected to Mary Elizabeth's Hospital, which will also become a national and international knowledge centre for CP. Here, some of the country's most talented CP researchers - together with researchers from the Elsass Foundation and the University of Copenhagen - will carry out projects with the potential to make a significant impact in the field and make a real difference for many people with CP," says Kirsten Smedegaard Andersen, Chair of the Elsass Foundation Board.

The team of professors Christina Høi-Hansen and Jakob Lorentzen will continue to lead the work for children and young people with CP at the new Mary Elizabeth's Hospital. PHOTO: Rigshospitalet

Tailored support

Every year, 120 children are diagnosed with CP in Denmark, making it the most common cause of physical disability in children.

"Since cerebral palsy cannot be cured, it is important that families receive support as early as possible. And that support must be tailored to each individual patient. That is why I am delighted that the new centre will allow us to research how the brain develops and adapts, while also developing a deeper understanding of hands-on interventions, so that children and young people have the best possible opportunities to live active and meaningful lives," says Lars Gaardhøj (S), Chair of the Capital Region of Denmark.

The goal is to bridge the gap between research and the everyday lives of families living with CP.

"With this donation we can create an incredibly strong foundation for national and international research collaboration, linking research into brain development with the everyday lives of patients and their families. We will share knowledge of and access to advanced diagnostic methods widely and build networks to strengthen professional collaboration as well as collaboration with patients and families. Together, we can create the best possible conditions for people with cerebral palsy to live active and meaningful lives," says Malene Fischer, Research Director at Rigshospitalet.

Mary Elizabeth's Hospital is Rigshospitalet's newest building. The building will bring together all maternity, children's and young people's services when construction is completed in 2027. ILLUSTRATION: Rigshospitalet

World-class research into everyday life

The centre will have two areas of focus. The first is accurate and early diagnosis in newborns and young children. The second is strengthening the follow-up care for young people with the diagnosis, particularly during the transition from childhood to adulthood.

The grant makes it possible to develop and test new ways of supporting young people with CP more closely during a stage in life when many find that specialist follow-up becomes fragmented or disappears.

The focus will be on function, independence and active participation in education, work and society - with the ambition of creating more cohesive pathways that extend into adult life.

The funds from the Elsass Foundation will support research projects grounded in the personal goals and everyday lives of patients with CP, combining clinical expertise with systematic follow-up. The aim is to develop a better understanding of how patients' own strengths and potential can be supported through targeted interventions, giving them the best possible conditions to live active and meaningful lives.

The donation secures a strong collaboration between the Elsass Foundation, the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet. The goal is to create a research, treatment, and teaching environment that can become one of the best in the world.