manchester institute of biotechnology
TRANSCRIPT
Manchester Institute of BiotechnologyDiscovery through innovation
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The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) was
completed in 2006 and represented the first university-
based purpose-built interdisciplinary research institute
of its kind in the UK. Based at the John Garside Building,
the 13,100m2 state-of-the art research and support space
features open-plan, multifunctional research laboratories
and extensive specialist facilities over 5 floors together
with a large atrium and lecture theatre for hosting research
conferences. The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology was
made possible by funding from the Wellcome Trust and the
Wolfson Foundation.
The MIB houses over 500 research staff and students,
including 60 research groups, 120 postdoctoral scientists
and over 300 postgraduate students (over 250 PhD and 80
MSc students) from across the Faculties of Life Sciences,
Engineering and Physical Sciences and Medical and Human
Sciences.
Working across boundaries – pluralistic, integrative and non-exclusive
Focusing on advanced quantitative approaches to specific
biotechnology challenges at the interface between
medicine, biology and the physical sciences, engineering,
mathematics and computation, the MIB enjoys a unique
pluralistic and open research culture that is supported by
world-class infrastructure. The training and assembly of
interdisciplinary teams applying pioneering approaches to
major global challenges in biotechnology is central to our
research mission.
Advancing The University of Manchester agenda
The University of Manchester is a world-renowned centre
for scholarship and research and one of the world’s leading
centres for biomedical and biotechnology research that
sits at the forefront of new discoveries in science and
engineering. The University exhibits a higher education
brand synonymous with the finest international standards
of academic excellence matching the world’s leading
universities in attracting the highest calibre of researchers,
innovators and scholars.
Research is at the heart of The University of Manchester
and the scale, diversity and quality of its research activity is
unrivalled in the UK. The outstanding results of the 2008
Research Assessment Exercise confirmed The University of
Manchester as a genuine research powerhouse and one of
the UK’s premier research institutions.
A distinctive feature of the University is its commitment
to a social responsibility agenda aimed at enhancing the
lives of all people, from local communities to international
populations, through knowledge transfer and education.
This commitment is embedded in global challenges that
constitute the unique research vision of the MIB whose
role is central to advancing the research mission of the
University.
Manchester Institute of Biotechnology
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The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology is committed to
delivering internationally recognised programmes across all
disciplines with a strong emphasis on translational research,
knowledge transfer and discovery through innovation.
The impact of our work is reflected in the quality, volume,
societal and economic impact of our research and our ability
to produce highly employable postgraduates and future
leaders with a deep appreciation of, and the ability to drive,
state-of-the-art biotechnology research. This innovative
approach places us in a strong position to address a series of
Grand Challenges that are both informed by and inform our
research at the molecular, systems and design levels. Using
advanced quantitative methods to explore the relationship
between the macro behaviour of biological systems and the
properties of their nanoscale components we are strongly
placed to translate this knowledge toward biotechnological
application in a wide range of industrial sectors including
chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy impacting positively
across society, the environment and the economy.
Discovery through Innovation Pipeline
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Industrial Biotechnology
Industrial biotechnology (IB) is a set of cross-disciplinary
technologies that use biological resources for producing
and processing materials and chemicals for non-food
applications. A multidisciplinary approach is essential to
transform the traditional chemical and chemical-related
sector to a sustainable and competitive one which draws
on disciplines such as organic and synthetic chemistry,
biochemistry, molecular biology, enzyme kinetics, genomics,
proteomics, bio-informatics and bioprocessing.
The MIB houses expertise across all these key areas and is
thus strongly placed to translate this knowledge towards
biotechnological application in a wide range of industrial
sectors including chemicals, pharmaceuticals and energy
thereby impacting positively across society, the environment
and the economy.
Biomedicine and Healthcare
Modern biotechnology is applied to medical processes that
can find applications in such areas as pharmacogenomics
and drug production. The development of modern
medicines requires understanding of molecules and
networks at the molecular and systems levels which
involves imaging and spatial mapping of cell responses in
health and disease and in response to drug challenges.
Our research ranges from structural and dynamic modelling
of potential drug targets and their interactions including
establishment of early phase drug discovery pipelines
through to the challenges of systems mapping of the
“virtual human”.
Biofuels and Energy
From underpinning strategic research to the transfer
of technology into the marketplace, The University of
Manchester has a range of world-class activities supporting
the need for solutions that can play their part in meeting
the global energy challenge.
Our contribution to this agenda focuses in particular on
the biological aspects of energy including fuel cells, solar
energy and 2nd/3rd/4th generation biofuels. Research into
alternative biofuels includes utilising biomass from both
agricultural and marine sources to the development of novel
biocatalysts.
Project profiles and research stories can be viewed online at
www.mib.ac.uk
Research Grand Challenges
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The MIB pursues and is engaged in challenging research
projects that enable us to make significant advances in
science and engineering to benefit industry and society.
Through innovative research, we can help you advance your
business, solve technical problems, improve your processes,
develop new products and build the technical capabilities of
your staff. We understand the importance of adapting the
approach to meet the needs of the project.
Our partnerships range from collaborative research
programmes, scoping exercises, technology transfer, joint
studentships, service work and/or consultancy etc. There
are a number of ways for commercial businesses to benefit
from the academic expertise fostered in the MIB. Benefits of
collaborative research with MIB include:
• The cost effective trialling and testing of products, drugs
and compounds using MIB facilities and expertise
• The development of close long-term relationships with
academic staff to build a relevant and comprehensive
portfolio of research and expertise needed to meet your
company’s specific needs.
• The transfer of innovative techniques and practices
from the laboratory to the manufacturing process
• The direct licensing of innovative technologies
and processes
• The accessing of government and European Union
funds for academic research that would be out of reach
for purely commercial projects
• Delivering internationally recognised programmes across all disciplines.
• Advancing economic and society development through knowledge generation
and transfer.
• Enabling companies of all sizes to benefit from our research technology
and expertise.
• Exploiting commercially significant innovation through licensing and the creation
of spin-out/spin-ins.
Innovation in Action
“The Synthetic Biochemistry team at GlaxoSmithKline is actively involved in
the discovery, development and industrialisation of new biotechnological
solutions to traditional chemistry problems. As part of this initiative we
constantly seek to improve our capabilities and have found MIB to be highly
informed and capable partners. We are actively involved in multiple large
collaborations and will continue to seek involvement from the MIB team.”
Joe Adams Biocatalysis and Synthetic Chemistry Manager, GSK
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“Bruker has long maintained an interest in structural biology with active collaborations
in various research projects into method development and applications across an array
of technology including the development of the National EPR Centre. Our company ethos
and commitment to knowledge advancement is shared by the MIB and we are very excited
to be directly involved in the training of young scientists through our sponsorship of four
MIB-Bruker studentships aimed at developing a strong strategic partnership with MIB that
will ultimately generate new discoveries and innovations.”
Jeremy Lea, Managing Director , Bruker UK Ltd
Industrial collaborations
Existing partnerships include companies from the chemical,
biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sectors. Current
industry co-funded research projects include:
• Exploring energy landscapes in complex enzyme
systems (Bruker)
• Directed enzyme evolution studies (BASF)
• Biologically produced hydrocarbons (Shell)
• Exploring superior biocatalysts for statin drug
production (DSM)
• Development of novel biomaterials for use in
regenerative medicine and development of leading
edge biocatalysts targeted at key life science
processes (Solvay)
• Development of industrial chemicals through novel
synthetic biology and pathways engineering (GSK)
• New methods for the rapid directed evolution
of enzymes and synthetic microorganisms for the
development of industrial biocatalysts (GSK)
Bruker-MIB – investing in the future of
NMR Spectroscopy
The MIB has recently emerged as a world-leader in
integrated biophysics and catalysis, with capabilities
spanning all aspects of biological structure determination,
magnetic resonance spectroscopies, time resolved and
single molecule spectroscopy and biological/chemical
computation.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an
essential platform technology for research in the life and
chemical sciences and currently makes a major contribution
to UK research priorities such as ageing and infectious
disease characterizing biomolecular structure, function and
dynamics. Our capabilities in NMR have expanded rapidly
with the purchase of an 800 MHz instrument from Bruker.
This addition to our facility, which currently houses 400
MHz, 500 MHz and 600 MHz instruments, will open up a
substantial number of new research programmes focusing
on the structures and dynamics of complex macromolecular
systems.
Our commitment to developing methods and technologies
in the area of mass resonance spectroscopy is shared
by Bruker UK Ltd who has committed 4 fully funded
studentships to the MIB.
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Commercialisation
We run a rolling programme of networking events with
industrial partners and other stakeholders that focus on
developing practical strategies to create short-term, mid-
term and long-term relationships with industrial partners.
The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Limited
(UMIP) assists in the commercialisation of any innovative
technologies and processes that may be derived from
collaborative research. UMIP has over a 20 year history
of Intellectual Property (IP) commercialisation and works
closely with MIB to ensure that any IP is fully developed to
maximise technology transfer.
The MIB has secured over 20 new invention disclosures each
year and filed six patents and two licences and facilitated
the formation of 3 spin-out companies since inception.
Conformetrix Ltd was formed in 2007 by Dr. Andrew Almond
and Dr. Charles Blundell and is focused on the optimisation
of drug discovery and design using NMR-based technology
to accurately solve bioactive three-dimensional molecular
structures. Conformetrix won the Bionow Biomedical start-
up of the year award for 2008 and Andrew was runner up in
the 2009 “BBSRC Innovator of the Year” competition.
In addition, MIB witnessed the formation of Discovery
Biocatalysts in 2011 and PharmaKure launched in 2012 to
explore new Alzheimer treatments through the screening of
existing drugs.
Consultancy
Whether you require a short-term consulting service to
augment your own company’s expertise, are looking for
an expert witness in a legal action or even need technical
advice as part of a due diligence process, we have over 60
principal investigators available for consultancy.
A select number of our researchers are involved in
consultancies with major chemical, biotechnology and
biopharmaceutical companies.
Contract research
We also have the capacity to enter into contract research
projects, which are similar to consultancies but take
place over a longer time-period and may involve more
than a single academic. Businesses benefit from the use
of the University’s facilities and retain their intellectual
property, while the University generally benefits through
publication rights.
“AstraZeneca (AZ) and MIB have a significant overlap in research interests
and expertise particularly in the application of biophysics and structural
biology approaches to studying drug targets for poorly-treated and emerging
diseases. Future collaborations will further enhance student training and see an
exchange of scientists and ideas to create a stimulating scientific environment
to tackle fundamental challenges in early-phase drug discovery.”
Alex Breeze, Principal Scientist, Structural Biophysics, AstraZeneca
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Public Engagement
We are committed to engaging with our community, our
University alumni, schools and the public in general, with
the aim of increasing awareness, interest, enjoyment and
understanding of science. The exchange of knowledge and
ideas is of benefit to us all and the ability to communicate
our research through a variety of media and outreach events
is essential.
We work closely with the University Public Engagement
team, Manchester Museum and the Museum of Science
and Industry (MOSI) to deliver events and activities including
the Manchester Science Festival and National Science and
Engineering week. We are in discussion with the Science, Art
and Writing Trust (SAW), a registered charity formed in 2004
that encourages engagement between science and the arts.
We hope to bring this programme to Manchester which
aims to bring science into everyday lives and language to
develop new ways of stimulating creativity, exploration and
learning.
Researchers regularly present at schools and colleges and
we often host students in our laboratories, endowing
and inspiring the next generation of research scientists
with hands-on, practical experience. We have also
accommodated students as part of the Nuffield Bursary
Placement Scheme whereby students spend several weeks
over the summer period working in our labs on a research
project. The Nuffield Foundation Science Bursaries offer
up to 1000 bursaries a year, for students to work alongside
professional scientists, technologists, engineers and
mathematicians and particularly encourage students from
schools in difficult social circumstances, and students who
do not have a family background of higher education or
STEM professions.
We hold regular open days in the Institute for A/AS level
students involving interactive science stands, laboratory
tours and science talks.
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The MIB offers a unique environment to carry out
multidisciplinary postgraduate research. The open-plan
laboratory and write-up areas are designed to promote
open communication between researchers from diverse and
hybrid scientific backgrounds.
Home to over 250 PhD students and 80 MSc students we
endow our interdisciplinary investigators with the key skills
to enable them to work successfully across the disciplinary
interfaces at the forefront of biotechnology.
In addition to the traditional UK doctoral training
programmes (e.g. BBSRC DTP, MCISB) the MIB hosts
EU training networks (e.g P4fifty, EuroGlycoarrays) and
international students from across the EU and around the
world including China, Egypt, Saudia Arabia, India, Pakistan
and Thailand amongst others.
We are also delighted to have secured a growing number
of industrially funded postgraduate research students from
Lonza, Cypex, Unilever, AZ, TgK, Medimmune, Chirotech,
Shell and Royal Phillips Electronics. We offer an unrivalled
environment that presents opportunities for placements in
industry across a variety of research disciplines. We recently
secured four 4 year fully funded postgraduate studentships
from Bruker as part of the purchase of our new 800MHz
NMR to investigate a substantial number of new research
programmes focusing on the structures and dynamics of
complex macromolecular systems.
Postgraduate “The MIB is an exhilarating environment in which to
carry out research. I enjoy associating with peers from
around the world, and the up-to-date facilities mean the
research undertaken here is of the highest quality. I also
believe that the integration of different experimental
approaches provides a key advantage over
other competing groups and institutions.”
Alex Geddes, Ph.D Biochemistry 1st Year Bruker Studentship
“The MIB has a reputation for pushing the boundaries
in technology development and innovation. I
was delighted to join the MIB as it promotes
interdisciplinary, challenge oriented science that is
supported by outstanding structural
biology infrastructure.”
Claudio Santos, Ph.D Biochemistry 1st Year Bruker Studentship
“... what I enjoy most is the international
atmosphere in the laboratory.”
Hanno Sjuts, Ph.D Biochemistry 3rd Year European Research Council
“The quality and array of research and the support
infrastructure was extremely attractive to me
in selecting the MIB to continue my studies.”
Jude Chenge, Ph.D Biochemistry 1st Year US Department of Education
“My interest in using spectroscopy and biophysical
techniques to study biological systems grew and
I wanted to continue my scientific career in an
environment that would enable my growth
as a researcher working at the interface.”
Uybach Vo, Ph.D Biochemistry 1st Year MRC Case Studentship (AstraZeneca)
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“The MIB is a great place to study because it allows
me to share and develop skills across the disciplines. In
my particular group we have a great mix of biologists
and chemists, and a wide range of expertise in many
different disciplines - there is always someone there
willing to help you and offer advice and
support.”
Lucy Heap, Ph.D Biochemistry 2nd Year Shell Studentship
“The MIB allows me to study in a highly equipped
and professional environment supported by many
experienced members of faculty. The building houses
the latest equipment whilst providing me with a
variety of opportunities for personal
development.”
Laura Szkolar, PhD Biomaterials 2nd Year Peptisyntha, Belgium
“Working in the MIB I have a variety of techniques
and facilities at hand to help answer
my research questions.”
Heather Davies, PhD Biochemistry 3rd Year BBSRC Case Studentship (Unilever)
“I was particularly attracted to the MIB as it has
developed a reputation as a leading force in
biocatalysis and biomolecular
engineering research in the UK.”
Nick Weise, PhD Biosynthetic Chemistry 1st Year KYROBIO Project, European Commission FP7
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Accomplishments
The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology has attracted
more than £83 million in external funding since inception.
Researchers have generated significant proposal activity
with a current (FY2011-12) total sponsored research portfolio
worth over £58 million. Funding is largely derived from the
UK research councils BBSRC (45%), EPSRC (12%) and others
(10%) including NERC and MRC with a growing contribution
(33%) from the European Commission, industry and
charities.
We have funded cross-campus collaborations with over
80 investigators and active national and international
collaborations with over 500 different research institutions
in over 65 countries worldwide.
Our reputation as an international leader in the
biotechnology field is evidenced with over 1000 publications
and reviews in peer-reviewed journals. The diversity
and quality of our research programmes is reflected in
publications as distinct as Nature, Cell, Nature Rev. Drug
Discovery, Science, Chemical Reviews Nature Chemical Biology,
Nature Chemistry, Nature Biotechnology, Angewandte
Chemie, Journal of American Chemical Society and
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA.
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Translational activity
• Filed over 100 new invention disclosures, six provisional patents and two new licences
since inception.
• Formation of 3 commercial spin-out companies to date.
Discovery through innovation
• Peter Gardner’s group develop correctional algorithm now used by over 60 research groups
worldwide which has led to a greater understanding of the Resonant Mie Scattering (RMieS)
phenomena.
• Pedro Mendes’s group and colleagues from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, the University
of Heidelberg, and The University of Manchester develop modelling and simulation software
‘COPASI’, a platform-independent and user-friendly biochemical simulator widely used in many
laboratories worldwide.
• Jason Micklefield’s group successfully re-engineer orthogonally selective riboswitches with
potential applications in gene functional analysis, protein production and metabolic engineering.
• Nicholas Turner’s group and colleagues from the Free University of Amsterdam (Romano Orru),
develop new drugs to tackle Hepatitis C by efficiently synthesising Telaprevir™, the leading
medicine in the fight against global HCV. Patented and licensed to a major pharmaceutical company.
• The creation of perfect drug combinations to combat severe diseases and conditions has been
developed by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers, led by Douglas Kell. These findings are
published in Nature Chemical Biology. Co-author Ben Small is a 3rd year PhD Student.
• David Leys and colleagues at The University of Manchester’s Paterson Institute for Cancer
Research (Ivan Ahel), succeed in determining the structure of a protein found in bacteria
and protozoans that could reveal new drug targets for inherited breast and ovarian cancers as
well as other cancers linked to DNA repair faults. These findings are published in Nature and
Nature Comms. Co-author is 1st year MIB PhD student (Amy Brassington).
• David Leys and Nigel Scrutton discover new enzyme catalysts for the production of biofuels.
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Highlight achievements
• Andrew Almond – winner of Bionow Biomedical start-up of the year award (2008) for
Conformetrix and runner up in the 2009 “BBSRC Innovator of the Year” competition.
• Sabine Flitsch – recipient of Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award and member of Chemistry
Panel RAE2008 and REF2014.
• Douglas Kell – appointed Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council (BBSRC) on 1 October 2008. Appointment extended for a further year until 30
September 2013.
• David Leys – recipient of European Research Council (ERC) Fellowship, EMBO Young
Investigator Award and Royal Society University Research Fellowship.
• Jackie Oldham – member of UK Research Excellence Framework Committee for Nursing,
Dentistry, Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions.
• Nigel Scrutton – recipient of Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award, EPSRC Established Career
Fellowship and member of Lister Institute.
• Jun’ichi Tsujii – recipient of prestigious medal of honor with purple ribbon by the
government of Japan for his academic contributions to the field of natural language
processing, machine translation and biomedical text mining.
• Nicholas Turner – recipient of Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award and Director, Centre of
Excellence in Biocatalysis, Biotransformations and Biocatalytic Manufacture (CoEBio3).
• Jonathan Waltho – appointed Chair of the N8 asset sharing initiative programme in NMR,
the aim of which is to integrate biological NMR across the North of England. Member of
Lister Institute.
In addition to the above select academics sit on a number of UK research council funding and
strategy panels including BBSRC, EPSRC, MRC and The Wellcome Trust in addition to holding
editorial positions across a range of international journals including PLoS ONE, J. Biol. Chem.,
EMBO etc.
Manchester Institute of BiotechnologyThe University of Manchester
131 Princess Street
Manchester M1 7DN
T +44(0)161 306 5200
www.mib.manchester.ac.uk