Its sleek design and bold frontage are a far cry from what may traditionally be thought of as a hospital building, but the new Allam Diabetes Centre is anything but ordinary.

The latest building to open on the Hull Royal Infirmary site has been generously supported by local businessman and philanthropist, Dr Assem Allam, with a donation of £3m. The balance has been provided by Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, with the overall cost of the building development amounting to some £7.5 million.

After 12 months under construction, this new centre of excellence is serving as a hub to treat more than 9,000 people every year for diabetes and metabolic bone diseases such as osteoporosis. In addition, it is providing a significantly expanded range of accommodation for world-class diabetes and endocrinology research and other research teams.

The Allam family donation has facilitated a significant increase in research accommodation within this building. This has resulted in purpose-designed, spacious and modern accommodation in which to undertake diabetes and endocrinology research, and the new centre is now helping to reaffirm Hull’s reputation as a global leader in research too.

The entire first floor has been given over to diabetes and endocrinology research and the staff supporting this work, which seems fitting given this team is the most successful recruiter into endocrine studies in the whole country.

Their cutting-edge research facilities now include dedicated laboratories, a sports science laboratory, ultrasound, ECG and consulting rooms plus day case facilities for complex clinical trials. The team currently has over 200 people involved in 12 active clinical trials right now, the findings of which will go on to benefit people with long-term conditions by significantly advancing treatment options and medical knowledge.