Rosalind Franklin Institute to Transform Drug Discovery Methods

Funding for ambitious technology projects that will enable the pharmaceutical industry to develop drugs faster, cheaper and better, was announced by Business Secretary Greg Clarke at the launch of the £103m Rosalind Franklin Institute at the Harwell Campus, Oxfordshire, on June 5.

Harnessing disruptive technologies such as AI and robotics, the new institute (RFI) is investing in:

The most advanced real-time video camera, the key to a new technique that uses light and sound to eradicate some of the most lethal forms of cancer.

A new project pioneering fully-automated hands-free molecular discovery to produce new drugs up to ten times faster and transform the UK’s pharmaceutical industry.

A ground-breaking new UK facility that will revolutionise the way samples are produced and harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) to generate new drugs for clinical testing within a few weeks.

Business Secretary Greg Clarke said: “The new Rosalind Franklin Institute will lead a revolution in drug development and diagnosis to improve the lives of millions of patients. And with over 10 million people in Britain alive today expected to live to 100, now more than ever it is vital that the Government invests in the development of new technologies and techniques which will support people to have healthier lives.”

Professor Ian Walmsey, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Innovation at the University of Oxford and Chair of the RFI’s Interim Board said: “The RFI will pioneer disruptive technologies and new ways of working to revolutionise our understanding of biology, leading to new diagnostics, new drugs, and new treatments for millions of patients worldwide. It will bring university researchers together with industry experts in one facility and embrace high-risk, adventurous research, that will transform the way we develop new medicines.”

The Institute is an independent organisation funded by the UK government through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and operated by 10 UK universities. It will operate on a hub and spokes model with the four storey £40m build central hub at Harwell delivered by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Opening in 2020, the hub will house the majority of the technologies produced for the institute and will have world-leading capabilities in imaging and drug discovery. It will be home to 150 researchers from industry and academia, working closely with the neighbouring facilities at Harwell including the Diamond Light Source and STFC’s Central Laser Facility. Equipment and researchers will also be located in the spokes distributed through the partner network of universities.