The center of excellence, which was inaugurated on Wednesday in the presence of Princess Anne, sister of King Charles III, is designed to advance the clinical development of new genetic treatments through the production of clinical-grade vectors, alongside translational support and regulatory advice. 

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the center, marked by the presence of Morocco's ambassador to the UK, Hakim Hajoui, Professor Azzouz stressed that gene therapy is a promising treatment option for over 7,000 rare and hereditary diseases that currently have no cure.

"Our aim is to provide patients with access to cutting-edge treatments that were previously unimaginable," he said.

The Sheffield Center, which also aims to expand gene therapy research in the UK and worldwide, intends to advance knowledge on gene therapies to develop new treatments for different diseases. To achieve this, the center relies on a network of researchers and partners in different parts of the UK.

The University of Sheffield is internationally renowned for its world-class research into neurodegenerative diseases. With state-of-the-art laboratories, equipment, and an extensive clinical database, the university is now one of the major players in the field of gene therapy.

Professor Azzouz earned a PhD in neuropharmacology from the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg. The Moroccan expert worked at the gene therapy center in Lausanne, Switzerland, before joining Oxford BioMedica plc in 2000, where he worked as a senior scientist and was appointed Director of Neurobiology in 2003.

He joined the University of Sheffield in 2006, where he held the Chair of Translational Neuroscience before becoming Head of Research and Innovation.

The Moroccan researcher has authored several research projects in the highly specialized field of gene therapy and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and has received a number of international awards in recognition of his work.