Francis Crick
Discovery Without Boundaries Harvesting the Fruits of Our Curiosity
One Nucleus, Hinxton, Cambridge, 28th June 2016
Professor David Roblin FRCP FFPM COO & Director of Scientific Translation Francis Crick
Co-discoverer of the structure of DNA
Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1962
Open to new ideas, collaborative, interdisciplinary, asked the hard
questions
Ballagh Francis Francis Crick portrait by Robert DNA sequencing
Watson, Crick and Sanger awarded Wilkins awarded Nobel Prize Nobel Prize Portable, low cost DNA sequencers 1953 1962 1977 1980 1987 2003 including DNA chips Personalised healthcare based on Rapid DNA individuals’ genome sequencing Automated sequence DNA double helix method DNA Human genome discovered developed sequencing sequenced
Advances in nano- materials, microfluids X-ray crystallography Chain-termination Fluorescent labelling Advances in and other reactions and Capillary informatics to handle minituristation radiocactive labelling electrophoresis large data sets techniques
Chemistry Chemistry Chemistry Computer Science Materials Physics Physics Analytical Science Chemistry The Scientific Century – securing our future prosperity, Royal Society 2010 A History of Discoveries MRC National Institute for Medical Research
1933 Christopher Andrews, Patrick Laidlaw and Wilson Smith discover human influenza virus 1936 Henry Dale, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for determining the role of acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter 1952 Archer Martin, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for invention of partition chromatography 1972 Rodney Porter, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for determining structure of the antibody immunoglobin 1995 Robin Lovell Badge – Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine for discovery of the sex determining gene 1996 Rosa Beddington discovers anterior organising Centre 2016 Tim Bliss, The Brain Prize for an outstanding Contribution to understanding of how memories are formed, retained and lost A History of Discoveries Cancer Research UK London Research Institute
1974 Mel Greaves’ work on the classification of childhood leukaemias becomes the first example of personalised cancer therapy 1975 Renato Dulbecco – Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on interactions between tumour viruses and genetic material of the cell 1979 David Lane and Lionel Crawford discover P53, which is mutated in half of all cancers 1983 Mike Waterfield and Julian Downward show that growth factors and receptors can be oncogenes (PDGF and EGF-R respectively) 2001 Tim Hunt, Leland H. Hartwell and Paul Nurse – Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries of key regulators of the cell cycle 2015 Thomas Lindahl, awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015 for mechanistic studies of DNA 2016 John Diffley, awarded the 2016 Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine for contributions to understanding how DNA replicates The Francis Crick Institute
• World-class multi-disciplinary biomedical research institute open to translation • Director: Paul Nurse, Nobel Laureate and former President of the Royal Society • Central London location • Partnership between: – Cancer Research UK – Medical Research Council – Wellcome Trust – UCL (University College London) – Imperial College London – King’s College London • 1,350 scientists • Up to 120 research groups • Currently located across four sites • Migration into new building to commence in 2016 Discovery Without Boundaries
• Pursue discovery without boundaries • Create future science leaders • Collaborate creatively to advance UK science and innovation • Accelerate translation for health and wealth • Engage and inspire the public Discovery Without Boundaries
• Broad scientific remit — little is off-limits • Scientific athletes - free to explore - without boundaries or themes. • Small research teams and no departments or divisions to engender collaboration • Multi-disciplinarity • Interact with King’s, Imperial and UCL to introduce physical, computing and clinical sciences via attachments • Work with AHRCs and BRCs • Open to Translation • Engaging the Public Harvesting the Fruits of Our Curiosity Translating Basic Science
Translating Basic Science Research into Clinical Applications – Conntopoulos-Ioannidis et al Proportion of promising technologies that were evaluated in at least one published randomised controlled trial and at least one published positive trial, by time since the index basic science publication Translation at the Crick
Close distance translation Improve the pathway to translatable science by spotting potential opportunities earlier
Accelerated technology transfer Acceleration of discoveries for impact on human health & wealth
Clinical Insights More of our science influenced by the clinic Close Distance Translation
Hypothesis Translatable programme
Acceleration
Close distance translation Open Science Collaboration
Curiosity Compounds, Driven Disease Disease Drug Disc. Discovery Reagents, Science Expertise Projects Expertise Platforms Biopharms
Disease Drug Discovery Long term Shared Joint Knowledge Projects relationship Learning Publications
Shared Outputs Crick GSK Briefing Pack 1 3 Well Connected Why St Pancras?
• Excellent national and international transport links • Very attractive location for the best researchers • Knowledge Quarter – over 45 academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations • The close proximity of clinical research facilities and faculties of other disciplines including engineering and maths is vital for the stimulation and support of translational research Department for Business, Innovation and Skills The Crick from St Pancras
crick.ac.uk
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