FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE DISCOVERY WITHOUT BOUNDARIES ANNUAL REVIEW 2015/2016 INSIDE THIS REPORT Introduction 2 Progress against our strategy 6 Highlights from the year 10 Our building: The Crick Laboratory 20 Science highlights 24 Facts and figures 36 1 BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER OUR FIRST YEAR The Francis Crick Institute is a biomedical discovery institute dedicated to understanding the fundamental biology underlying health and illness. Our work is helping to understand why disease develops and to translate this into new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, strokes, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases. The Francis Crick Institute Progress against our strategy 2 Annual review 2016 Highlights from the year Our building: The Crick Laboratory Science highlights Facts and figures INTRODUCTION WITH PAUL NURSE By bringing together scientists from many disciplines, the Crick will help to improve people’s lives and keep the UK at the forefront of biomedical research. 3 Welcome to the first annual review The second task has been establishing and embedding a new institute from the merger of our parent of the Francis Crick Institute, a institutes, the MRC’s National Institute of Medical discovery institute dedicated to Research (NIMR) and Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute (LRI). On 1 April 2015, this merger understanding the fundamental brought together nearly 1,200 staff. The practicalities biology underpinning human of establishing a new, single institute have been numerous – from brand new online systems for finance, health. Our work is furthering procurement, and HR to new logistical arrangements knowledge about why disease such as a unified delivery service. We have further been challenged to run the Crick across four separate sites. develops and how we can prevent, As these pages will show, this has not held back our diagnose and treat illnesses. progress either in research or in engagement with the wider world. We were founded by six of the UK’s most successful The third task has been completing the construction and scientific and academic organisations: the Medical commissioning of the Crick Laboratory – one of the Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK (CRUK), most complex buildings in London and the biggest single the Wellcome Trust, UCL (University College London), biomedical laboratory in Europe. Our new home will Imperial College London and King’s College London. not only be a scientific hub of the highest specification; Collaboration with and beyond our founding partners it will be an iconic landmark at the heart of the greatest is central to what we do, and part of our strategy, which city in the world. The building speaks to our intention to we call ‘discovery without boundaries’. reach beyond the science community, housing not only a Discovery Lab in which we will host schoolchildren, but This review covers our first year of operations, 1 April a Living Centre for local residents, which is the first new 2015 to 31 March 2016. There is much to report: during community space to be built in Somers Town, one of the year we have been doing three things in parallel, each the most deprived neighbourhoods in London, for more of which has been a considerable task in its own right. than 15 years. The first is pursuing our core mission: the highest In undertaking all three tasks in parallel, our staff, our quality discovery science. This review offers a small founding partners and our supporters have shown drive, selection from the more than 400 papers we have flexibility and determination. The achievements and published during the year, but it gives a flavour of the discoveries outlined in this review speak to their success. range, depth and importance of our scientists’ work The Crick’s vision depends on effective collaboration, – from understanding Down syndrome, to generating and as this year’s teamwork has demonstrated, we can insights about cancer immunotherapy, to unravelling look forward to the future with great confidence. the fundamentals of life, such as how DNA replicates. The awarding of a Nobel Prize, a Louis-Jeantet Prize and a Brain Prize to Crick researchers during the year shows the quality of the scientific foundations we have inherited from our legacy institutes. Our ambition is to build on those foundations and make the Crick even more than the sum of its parts. The Francis Crick Institute Progress against our strategy 4 Annual review 2016 Highlights from the year Our building: The Crick Laboratory Science highlights Facts and figures The Francis Crick Institute was founded by six of the UK’s most successful scientific and academic organisations, and draws on the distinctive strengths of each. Our founding partners reflect on our first year. ‘Celebrating one year of operations ‘The Francis Crick Institute will ‘The Crick is one of the most of the Francis Crick Institute revolutionise medical research. important scientific developments is testament to the outstanding Through collaboration and sharing in UK biomedical science for a commitment of all who have insights across many different generation, and one that Wellcome contributed towards delivering this disease areas, the Crick will make is proud to support in partnership remarkable new medical research a unique global contribution to with government, charities institute. The partners’ shared our understanding of their causes and universities. aspiration, a vision also held by and drivers. This cross-pollination the UK government, is that the of knowledge, delivered through Science is a global endeavour, Crick develops a new and even state-of-the-art facilities and the and the spirit of international more effective approach to the best scientific minds, will accelerate collaboration is central to the clinical and commercial translation and deepen our understanding Crick’s vision of attracting the most of discovery research, helping of how cancer starts, spreads talented researchers from around turn laboratory discoveries into and develops.’ the world. treatments as quickly as possible Sir Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive, to improve people’s lives. I am Cancer Research UK I look forward to watching the confident this will be achieved progress of the institute as it moves through the combined specialist into its second year and continues knowledge, expertise and resources to make its mark as one the world’s of its scientists, working across most progressive and innovative many disciplines, and of all new research centres.’ partners involved.’ Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director, Professor Sir John Savill, Chief Executive the Wellcome Trust Officer, Medical Research Council (MRC) 5 ‘The Francis Crick Institute is a ‘I congratulate the Crick team ‘As a founding academic partner once-in-a-generation opportunity for the progress they have made, King’s is delighted to play a for the life and biomedical sciences. reflected in the milestone of this key role in this world-leading Our commitment builds on UCL’s inaugural annual review. institute, bringing experts from a role as one of Europe’s largest wide range of disciplines to work and most successful centres for Imperial College London’s mission collaboratively under one roof. biomedical research and we are to deliver enduring excellence in King’s has an excellent track record confident it will expand and research and education for the in bringing scientists and clinicians enhance our already pioneering benefit of society is advanced together to translate research into research. Having the Crick on our through collaboration with innovative treatments as quickly doorstep gives us the opportunity excellent partners like the Francis as possible. Our expertise will to form a world-class biomedical Crick Institute. Embedded in the strengthen further the institute’s cluster for innovation and Crick network, Imperial’s leading ability to bring basic and applied excellence in the heart of London. scientists, engineers and medics will science together with clinical Being a founding partner of the further understanding, treatment knowledge, to benefit patients Crick strengthens the translation and prevention of healthcare across the UK as well as society as of our remarkable research challenges like cancer, heart disease, a whole.’ into new therapies that benefit infections and neurodegenerative Professor Edward Byrne AC, President human health. conditions. The Crick will and Principal, King’s College London enhance the College’s impact The unique partnership working in fundamental science and catalysed by the Crick allows us provide the impetus for new to make the whole more than the multidisciplinary and collaborative sum of its individually excellent encounters with leading academic parts, allowing us to tackle and and industry partners. overcome some of the biggest global healthcare challenges.’ We are proud to be a founding member and, working with our Professor Michael Arthur, President and Provost, UCL (University College London) partner institutions, look forward to building on our collective strengths to shape the future of biomedical research.’ Professor Alice Gast, President, Imperial College London The Francis Crick Institute PROGRESS AGAINST OUR STRATEGY 6 Annual review 2016 Highlights from the year Our building: The Crick Laboratory Science highlights Facts and figures PROGRESS AGAINST OUR STRATEGY The Crick’s vision to PURSUE DISCOVERY be a world-leading WITHOUT BOUNDARIES multidisciplinary The Crick aims to discover the basic biomedical research biology underlying human health institute