WELLCOME TRUST ANNUAL REVIEW 1 October 2006–30 September 2007 ANNUAL REVIEW 2007 The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, spending over £500 million each year to support the brightest scientists with the best ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. www.wellcome.ac.uk THE WELLCOME TRUST The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK. It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK and internationally, and supports public debate about biomedical research and its impact on health and wellbeing. 123 CONTENTS BOARD OF GOVERNORS 2 Director’s statement William Castell Chairman Achieving our objectives Adrian Bird 4 Advancing knowledge Deputy Chairman 16 Using knowledge Kay Davies 24 Engaging society Christopher Fairburn 30 Developing people Patricia Hodgson 36 Facilitating research Richard Hynes 40 Developing our organisation Peter Rigby The year in review Alastair Ross Goobey* 41 Corporate activities Peter Smith 42 Financial summary 2006/07 Edward Walker-Arnott 44 Funding developments 2006/07 As at January 2008 46 Streams funding 2006/07 *While finalising this publication, we were saddened to learn that Alastair Ross Goobey had died, following a 48 Technology Transfer long illness. Alastair was an outstanding Governor and extraordinary friend of the Wellcome Trust. A Governor 49 Wellcome Trust Genome Campus since 2002, his advice was instrumental in helping to develop the investments of the Trust. He took a 50 Public Engagement great interest in all aspects of our activities and will be 51 Wellcome Collection sadly missed by those who worked with him. 52 Advisory committees Images This Annual Review covers the 1 A trypanosome parasite. 3 Examining material in 5 The Beagle 2 spacecraft. Wellcome Trust’s financial year, from 2 Stephen Fry in the Wellcome Library. 6 The Africa Centre for 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007. Wellcome Collection. 4 Malaria parasites inside Health and Population red blood cells. Studies. CONTENTS 1 45 6 EXECUTIVE BOARD MAKING A DIFFERENCE Developing people: To foster a Mark Walport The Wellcome Trust’s mission is research community and individual Director of the Wellcome Trust to foster and promote research with researchers who can contribute to the advancement and use of knowledge Ted Bianco the aim of improving human and animal Director of Technology Transfer health. During 2005–2010, Facilitating research: To promote the our aims are: best conditions for research and the John Cooper use of knowledge Director of Resources Advancing knowledge: To support research to increase understanding Developing our organisation: To use David Lynn of health and disease, and its our resources efficiently and effectively. Head of Strategic Planning and Policy societal context Clare Matterson Using knowledge: To support the Director of Medicine, development and use of knowledge Society and History to create health benefit David Phillipps Engaging society: To engage with Director of Finance society to foster an informed climate Alan Schafer within which biomedical research Head of Molecular and can flourish Physiological Sciences John Stewart Head of Legal and Company Secretary Danny Truell Chief Investment Officer As at January 2008 Strategic Plan updates, summarising progress in achieving specific objectives during 2006/07, can be found at www.wellcome.ac.uk/strategicplan. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT 2 BEING BOLD Sometimes big is definitely better… 12 3 One of the benefits of having significant Crucially, this work has only been made The Consortium was not the only sums to award in grants is the possible by the availability of a dense notable ‘big science’ achievement of the opportunity to make major investments – map of genetic markers – an outcome of year. January 2007 saw the opening of to think big. We have been in the the Human Genome Project, the the Diamond synchrotron, a joint venture fortunate position of being able to do sequencing of which identified sites of with the UK Government (page 37). This that while maintaining our core support single-letter variation in the human initiative, the largest scientific for curiosity-driven investigator-led genetic code (so-called single nucleotide infrastructure project in the UK for 40 proposals. But rather than do ‘more of polymorphisms, SNPs). Recognising the years, has been many years in gestation the same’ we have consciously set aside value of SNPs as genetic markers, we and it gives me great pleasure to see large sums to be spent on the truly supported the SNP Consortium, a such a world-class facility up and running. innovative, large-scale projects that will public–private partnership that mapped The value of structural approaches, have enduring impact. This year we can hundreds of thousands of SNPs across where Diamond will have its biggest see how this policy has borne fruit the genome and made them freely biological impact, is amply illustrated by magnificently. available for use in research. the continuing success of the Structural The undoubted highlight has been the From the SNP Consortium emerged the Genomics Consortium (page 37). stream of papers emerging from the International HapMap Project, to which Another public–private partnership, and Wellcome Trust Case Control we have also contributed support. The based on an international collaboration Consortium (page 6). Identifying genes HapMap Project is characterising human involving the UK, Canada and Sweden, associated with common diseases has genetic variation across different human the Structural Genomics Consortium has been a goal of human geneticists for populations. It is variation between confounded sceptics – easily surpassing decades, yet with a few notable individuals that will underpin differing its targets. Protein structures, again exceptions progress has been susceptibilities to disease. freely released into the public domain, frustratingly slow. It has taken advances While SNPs still appear to be the main have given insight into fundamental in technology, methodology and source of human genetic variation, copy biological questions and are also of statistical tools to arrive at a situation number variation is also turning out to be direct practical benefit, stimulating new where reliable associations can now be significant (pages 6–7). Blocks of DNA may drug development. identified. be missing or present in different numbers Large-scale high-throughput More than 30 genes have been of copies in different people. We are now approaches are one of the strengths of pinpointed by the Consortium using this discovering that this feature is more the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. It approach, and others are likely to be common than we thought, is distinct continues to play a key role in unravelling confirmed by more detailed follow-up from SNP variation, and impacts on the mysteries of the human genome – an work. They are providing valuable leads health. In a new venture funded this year, entity that is more complex than anyone for researchers investigating the biology the Case Control Consortium will be had thought when the sequencing of these conditions, and have opened up searching for copy number variation as a project was launched (pages 6–7). The a host of new therapeutic targets. possible factor in common diseases. Sanger Institute has also shown how Images 1 Buildings housing the Wellcome Trust 3 Dr Mark Walport with Stephen Fry (left) and Sanger Institute. Trust Deputy Chairman Professor Martin 2 Structure of JMJD2A demethylase enzyme, Bobrow (right) at the opening of Wellcome determined by the Structural Genomics Collection. Consortium. 4 Lung cancer cells in culture. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT 3 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR much can be gained from comparative This trend towards ‘big science’ is sure genomics – identifying key differences to continue. Progress continues on the between strains and different but related UK Biobank project, which with data on species (pages 10–11). 500 000 people will provide an unrivalled The Cancer Genome Project, a resource for epidemiological research. partnership between the Sanger Institute This year we have promoted more and the Institute of Cancer Research, is imaginative thinking around electronic another ambitious initiative that continues patient records, where the UK’s national to generate important information infrastructure provides a huge (page 7). An early success was its opportunity for health research. The discovery of BRAF as a key gene technical and logistical challenges are involved in malignant melanoma. It now significant but this is an opportunity that must not be let slip away. looks as if BRAF may be exceptional in 4 causing such a high proportion of these The great advances made by large- cancers. An exhaustive trawl of kinase scale initiatives should not cause us to genes in a range of human tumours has lose sight of the high-quality research • Wellcome Trust Case Control revealed great diversity in the mutations being carried out by individual research Consortium finds 30 genes present in cancers. Not all the groups. The work of Professor Adrian associated with common mutations are necessarily contributing Bird and colleagues in Edinburgh and diseases. to cancer growth, and it is a significant researchers at the Behavioural and • Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute challenge distinguishing the ‘drivers’ Clinical Neuroscience Institute in researchers discover further from the ‘passengers’.