Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine

Last updated

MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
Established1989 (1989)
Founder Sir David Weatherall
Type Research institute
Focus Medical research
Location
Coordinates 51°45′49″N1°13′02″W / 51.76356826202882°N 1.217165636691765°W / 51.76356826202882; -1.217165636691765 ,
Director
KJ Patel FRS
Website www.imm.ox.ac.uk

The MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford [1] is a research institute located at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Founded in 1989 by Sir David Weatherall, the institute focuses on furthering our understanding of clinical medicine at a molecular level. It was one of the first institutes of its kind in the world to be dedicated to research in this area. [2] [3]

Contents

The MRC WIMM is part of the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Oxford. It hosts over 500 staff and students from seven different departments working on five key areas of research: immunology and infection, haematology, rare diseases, cancer biology, stem cells and developmental biology. [1] The institute houses the MRC Human Immunology Unit, MRC Molecular Haematology Unit and MRC WIMM Centre for Computational Biology. A third of the researchers are clinically qualified and have joint posts with the departments at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Research

Several research breakthroughs have been made at the MRC WIMM.

MRC Molecular Haematology Unit

Originally founded in 1980, the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit (MRC MHU) is now situated in the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. [9] 14 research teams work within the unit to understand a variety of haematological processes. Over 100 researchers are studying projects including work on stem cells and how they mature into blood components such as red cells, granulocytes, lymphocytes and platelets. Research is also carried out to understand what happens when these processes are disrupted in diseases of the blood including leukaemia, myelodysplasia and thalassaemia. [9]

The unit's research is integrated with NHS patient services through collaboration with the clinical Department of Haematology at Oxford University NHS Foundation Trust. Many of the researchers are also practicing clinicians and links with the Department of Haematology and Paediatrics at Oxford University provide access to clinical samples and help discoveries made at the unit to be effectively translated into improvements in medicine in clinics for patients.

MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit (formerly Human Immunology Unit)

Founded in 1998 as the MRC Human Immunology Unit (MRC HIU), the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit (MRC TIDU) focuses on researching the molecular pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases. [10] In 2023, The MRC HIU rebranded to be called the MRC TIDU. [11] Research within the unit aims to increase our understanding of how the human immune system functions throughout life, particularly the response to infection and cancer. Their work contributes to the development of treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases and infections. [12] The unit works in collaboration with the NHS and industry, along with charities, including Wellcome and Cancer Research UK. [12]

During the COVID-19 pandemic of the 2020s, the MRC HIU (now the MRC TIDU) researched several treatments for COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infections, including therapeutics, and prophylactic vaccines. The HIU (now TIDU) and the Pirbright Institute studied the Oxford RBD-SpyVLP vaccine, a virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccine targeting the spike glycoprotein receptor-binding domain (RBD). [13] [14]

Directors

Alumni

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References

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  2. 1 2 Richmond, Caroline (16 December 2018). "Sir David Weatherall obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 Watts, Geoff (26 January 2019). "Obituary David John Weatherall". The Lancet. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30113-8 .
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  9. 1 2 "MRC Molecular Haematology Unit Website".
  10. "About Us". www.imm.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  11. "MRC Human Immunology Unit rebrands to the MRC Translational Immune Discovery Unit". www.imm.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  12. 1 2 "About Us". MRC Human Immunology Unit.
  13. "Studies show promising results for new Oxford COVID-19 vaccine". Open Access Government. 25 January 2021.
  14. Tan, T.K.; Rijal, P.; Rahikainen, R.; et al. (2021). "A COVID-19 vaccine candidate using SpyCatcher multimerization of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain induces potent neutralising antibody responses". Nature Communications. 12 (542). doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-20654-7 . PMC   7822889 .
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  16. "MRC Molecular Haematology Unit appoints new Director". Medical Research Council. 1 April 2020. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
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  19. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2019". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 8 October 2019.