The University of Manchester

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The University of Manchester
University of the Year Sunday Times 2005
Times HES 2006
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Largest single-site higher education institution
in UK
HM The Queen with Co-Chancellor Anna Ford
HM The Queen with Co-Chancellor Anna Ford
The Core Technology Facility
Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre
Michael Smith Building
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• Towards Manchester 2015

Strategic Goals High International
standing World-class research Exemplary
knowledge technology transfer Excellent
teaching and learning The UKs most
accessible research intensive university
Empowering collegiality Internationally
competitive resources Increasingly effective
community service
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Students

• UKs most popular University
• 63,000 applicants in 2006
• 26,460 Undergraduates
• 5,848 Postgraduate (taught courses)
• 3,346 Postgraduate (research)
• gt 500 degree programmes
• gt 3, 500 employers target our students
• gt 91.9 of graduates in FT employment/study 6
  months after graduation

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Faculties

• Life Sciences
• 3 Sections
• 18 Research Themes
• 5 specialist Research Centres
• gt 200 Principal Investigators
• 5 RAE rating

• Medical Human Sciences
• 5 Schools
• 7 Research Groups
• Rated 5 in hospital-based and community-based
  clinical subjects RAE

• Humanities
• 8 Schools
• 6 Research Themes
• Manchester Business School

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Faculty of Life Sciences
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Faculty of Life Sciences

• One of the largest and most successful research
  and teaching organisations in Europe
• Secured more funding from the Biotechnology and
  Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) than
  any other British university (2006)
• 258 Principal Investigators
• 63 M income
• 5 RAE rating

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• Facilities
• FLS Landmark Buildings
• 140M New building programme
• Michael Smith Building (39m), 2004
• Core Technology Facility (27m), 2005
• Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre (38m),
  2006
• Smith Extension Building (30m), August 2008

Michael Smith Building
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Faculty of Life Sciences Research
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Adhesion and Extracellular Matrix

• Matrix assembly
• - mechanisms for assembly and delivery of ECM
  polymers
• - molecular mechanisms of defective tissue
  organisation
• Adhesion signalling
• - mechanisms for ECM integration with
  cytoskeleton and associated signalling
  machinery
• - mechanisms to control aberrant cell
  trafficking in human disease
• Cell fate determination
• - cell survival and stem cell differentiation
• - effects of biomechanical force on cell
  phenotype
• Tissue regeneration
• - see next slide

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/cel
ladhesion/
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Tissue Regeneration
- Repair and regeneration of damaged and
diseased tissues - Regulation of cell fate -
Therapeutic protocols to exploit stem cells -
Applications for major clinical targets e.g.
diabetes and chronic tissue injury and repair -
Relationship between stem cells and cancer
http//www.wtccmr.manchester.ac.uk/ourresearch/tis
sueregeneration/index.asp
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Analysis of Biological Complexity

• FLS houses the Centre for the Analysis of
  Biological Complexity (CABC)
• Analysis at the cellular, organismal, ecological
  and evolutionary levels
• Experts in model organisms including yeast,
  Dictyostelium, C. elegans and Drosophila

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/bio
logicalcomplexity/
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Bioinformatics Functional Genomics

• Largest concentration of Bioinformaticians in
  any UK HEI
• Computational approaches for post-genomic
  technologies (including software development and
  application)
• Genome bioinformatics
• - contributed to human, mouse and Drosophila
  genome projects
• - functional and comparative bioinformatic
  analyses
• - assembly and annotation of sequences and
  molecular evolutionary studies
• Post genome science
• - study biological function via post-genome
  science
• - study gene expression at the mRNA and protein
  levels

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/bio
informatics//
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Channels Transporters

• Cell signalling
• - molecular cross-talk
• - protein phosphorylation
• Ion channels
• - roles in aetiology of disease (including
  diabetes)
• - Pharmalogical and molecular studies
• - targeting membrane proteins
• Molecular sensing
• - including fatty acid receptors (GPR40) and
  calcium-sensing receptor
• - regulation of cellular phenotype.
• Solute transporters
• - in kidney, intestine and GI tract, embyonic
  stem cells, placenta, and epithelial cells

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/cha
nnelsandtransporters/
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Gene Expression

• FLS houses major Centre for research in this
  field
• The Regulation of transcription
• - sequence-specific transcription factors at the
  promoter
• - post-translational modifications
• Cellular signalling mechanisms
• - regulation and action of modifying enzymes and
  their networks
• - genetic, biochemical, molecular and structural
  approaches
• RNA Biology and the control of translation
• - molecular mechanisms of pre-mRNA splicing
• - role of antisense RNAs in control of gene
  expressions
• - regulation by intracellular signalling

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/gen
eexpression/
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Immunology

• Immune responses to parasites
• - immune response leading to worm expulsion
• - cytokine control of these responses
• Dendritic cells
• - regulation and modulation of function
• - induction of immune response to tumours
• Autoimmunity
• - prevention of AI responses
• - inflammation
• - sensitvity to chemicals
• - role of cytokines

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/imm
unology/
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Molecular Cancer

• Cell Cycle and apoptosis
• - impaired function during tumour development
• - links between cell cycle progression and
  genome integrity
• - genome instability
• - new therapeutics
• Tumour microenvironment
• - regulation of nuclear organisation and
  function
• - tumour-derived manipulation of
  microenvironment
• Genome instability
• - effects on normal cells
• - links to cell cycle, signalling, and cell fate

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/mol
ecularcancerstudies/
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Molecular Microbiology

• Molecular bacteriology
• - bacterial polysaccharides and glycoconjugates
  in disease
• - cell surface proteins
• - intracellular adaptation
• - plasmid segregation and maintenance
• - adaptation to heavy metals
• Molecular mycology
• - protein secretion in filamentous fungi and
  yeast
• - drug resistance in fungal pathogens
• - genome structure

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/mic
robiology/
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Neurosciences

• Appetite and body weight regulation
• - brain systems regulating energy input and
  expenditure
• - neuron control of synaptic and endocrine input
  
• - multidisciplinary approach
• Chronobiology
• - circadian rhythms
• - integration of information at molecular and
  cellular levels
• Comparative neurobiology and behaviour
• - modulation of sensory input and motor output
• - response to changes in sensory cues and
  physiological requirements
• Computational neuroscience
• how neurones perform the computations that
  underlie every brain function
• - multidisciplinary approach

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/neu
rosciences/
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Neurosciences

• Developmental neuroscience
• - ordered development of nervous system
• - effects of aberrant development
• Neural injury and repair
• - neurone and cell death
• - regeneration after injury
• - drug development
• - bioimaging
• Neurophysiology
• - systems level
• - visual and motor neural function
• Signalling
• - cell-to cell communications in physiological
  and pathological circumstances

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/neu
rosciences/
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Organelle Function in Health Disease

• Protein misfolding and human disease
• - recognition of mutated membrane proteins
• - elimination at the ER
• - principles of protein biosynthesis at the ER
• - protein targeting and translocation
• - regulation of oxidative protein folding
• Dynamics of membrane trafficking
• - protein sorting, membrane manipulation and
  movement
• - function and dynamics of Golgi apparatus
• - the endocytic and secretory pathways
• - microtubule motors in programmed cell death

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/org
anellefunction/
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Stem Cell Research

• FLS houses The North West Embryonic Stem Cell
  Centre (NWESCC)
• Embryonic stem cells
• - world-class expertise in human and murine
  development
• - maintenance of pluripotent phenotype
• - targeted differentiation e.g. pancreatic
  b-cell
• - embryonic stem cells and cancer
• Adult tissue / stem cells
• - defined cells e.g. bone marrow
• - pre-characterisation cells e.g. endocrine
  pancreas
• - injury and repair

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/tis
sueregeneration/
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Structural BiologyEnzymology and Biophysics

• Enzymology Biophysics
• - catalytic mechanisms in enzymes
• - behaviour of biological molecules
• - folding and unfolding of proteins and RNAs
• Membrane proteins
• - solid-state NMR
• - X-ray crystallography
• - cryo-electron microscopy
• RNA-protein interactions
• - protein synthesis on ribosome
• - assembly of macromolecular complexes

http//www.ls.manchester.ac.uk/research/themes/str
ucturalbiology/
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Additional Research Themes
Adaptive organismal biology
Plant sciences
Developmental biology
History of Science, Technology and Medicine
Evolutionary biology
Eye vision sciences
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Analytical Research Facilities
Bioimaging
Biomolecular analysis/ Mass Spectrometry
Electron Microscopy
DNA Sequencing
Fermentation
Microarray Technologies
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Collaborations

• With gt70 companies
• 43 CASE studentships
• 106 undergraduate industrial placements (06/07)
• Business services
• - consultancy
• - research collaborations
• - contract research
• - education and training

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Collaborations

• Major collaborations with
• AstraZeneca
• GSK
• Current business partners include
• Johnson Johnson
• Merck Sharp and Dohme
• Novartis
• Boehringer-Ingelheim
• KuDos Pharmaceuticals
• Eli Lilly and Company
• Pfizer

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Spin-out Companies