Support secured for RFI Life Science capabilities

With core funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in place, the Rosalind Franklin Institute has continued with plans for a refreshed strategy for advancing its proteomics and imaging technologies.

During a recent visit, newly appointed Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan commented: “Science and technology has the potential to change our world beyond recognition.

“A brand new and dedicated department for Science, Innovation and Technology will be the engine room behind the Government’s plan to grow the economy – improving the lives of everyone in the UK through rapid growth, better jobs and major discoveries that advance the health, digital landscape and prosperity of society.”

RFI Director Professor James Naismith said that since its launch in 2018, the Franklin had been built to time and on budget, including staff and ‘beyond state-of-the-art instrumentation, which we are helping to develop’ - and has published some of the world’s most cited papers.

“In Phase 2 we really want to push forward our vision to see life at the atomic scale from molecules, to cells, and into tissues, and accelerate the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic products by creating and combining our advanced technologies.”

Early successes have been in generating clinically relevant agents against SARS-CoV-2 during the pandemic and advancing electron imaging development while also  establishing key strategic collaborations with international instrument manufacturers, Thermo Fisher Scientific, JEOL, Bruker and Waters. With work ongoing to address major challenges in health through characterisation of early stage degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, future aims are looking towards using real patient tissue samples to assess disease dynamics, drug effects and diagnostics with atomic level insight.

UK Research and innovation Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said: “The work of the Rosalind Franklin Institute is a great illustration of how we will deliver on this ambition. The advanced technologies being developed at the institute are transforming our understanding of life, and as a result helping us to address a wide range of health challenges.”

Bronwen Foster, a PhD student at the Franklin and UCL, said “My work looks at characterising the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. This project is only possible at the Franklin because of the unique technologies under development here. Also, the combination of expertise found here allows me to develop my skills in a range of areas from electron microscopy imaging, mass spectrometry and artificial intelligence and apply them to explore the brain – providing a different perspective on the disease.”

During the last five years the Franklin has participated in projects leveraging more than £100m in grants for the UK, including a £25m Wellcome grant to revolutionise cryo-electron microscopy. During the pandemic its work attracted further grants, including the ‘Disease X’ grant, that helped researchers to raise agents even more rapidly against an emerging threat.

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