Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine

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]

MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
Established1989 (1989)
FounderSir David Weatherall
TypeResearch institute
FocusMedical research
Location
Coordinates51.76356826202882°N 1.217165636691765°W / 51.76356826202882; -1.217165636691765,
Director
KJ Patel FRS
Websitewww.imm.ox.ac.uk

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.

  • Researchers based at the WIMM discovered how cells and tissues recognise and respond to oxygen levels; work for which Sir Peter Ratcliffe was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology in 2019.[4]
  • Researchers there made key discoveries on how the HIV virus evades the immune system.[5]
  • The institute has a long track record in genetics and researchers there uncovered many of the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic disorders affecting haemoglobin production including alpha thalassaemia.[6] It contributed to the human genome project and identified key genes and processes in a variety of human genetic diseases.[7]
  • Scientists at the institute have defined novel mechanisms by which the immune system causes severe neurological diseases, which has led to new therapies.[8]

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 Human Immunology Unit

Founded in 1998, the MRC Human Immunology Unit (MRC HIU) focuses on researching fundamental and translational immunology.[10] 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.[10] The unit works in collaboration with the NHS and industry, along with charities, including Wellcome and Cancer Research UK.[10]

During the COVID-19 pandemic of the 2020s, MRC HIU research several treatments for COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infections, including therapeutics, and prophylactic vaccines. The HIU 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).[11][12]

Directors

Alumni
  • Prof Charles Bangham (Chair of Immunology, Imperial College London)[15]
  • Sir John Bell FRS, (Regius Chair of Medicine, University of Oxford)[15]
  • Prof Roy Bicknell, (Professor of Functional Genomics, University of Birmingham)[15]
  • Prof Vincenzo Cerundolo (Previous Director of the MRC Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford)[16]
  • Prof Paul Crocker FRSE, (Professor of Glycoimmunology, University of Dundee)[15]
  • Dame Kay Davies FRS, (Professor of Anatomy, University of Oxford)[15]
  • Sir Jeremy Farrar FRS, (Director of the Wellcome Trust)[15]
  • Prof Jonathan Frampton, (Professor of Stem Cell Biology, University of Birmingham)[15]
  • Prof Frances Gotch, (Emeritus Professor of Immunology, Imperial College London)[15]
  • Prof Ann Harris, (Professor of Paediatrics, Northwestern University)[15]
  • Prof Peter Harris, (Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic Rochester )[15]
  • Prof Chris Higgins, (Previous Vice Chancellor, Durham University)[15]
  • Prof Adrian Hill, (Director of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford)[15]
  • Prof Anthony Monaco, (President of Tufts University)[15]
  • Prof Paul Moss, (Professor of Haematology, University of Birmingham)[15]
  • Sir Peter Ratcliffe FRS, (Nobel Prize winner, Professor of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford)[17]
  • Prof Gavin Screaton, (Head of the Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford)[15]
  • Prof Swee Lay Thein, (Chief of the Sickle Cell Branch of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH)[15]

References
  1. "About us". Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  2. Richmond, Caroline (16 December 2018). "Sir David Weatherall obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. Watts, Geoff (26 January 2019). "Obituary David John Weatherall". The Lancet. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30113-8.
  4. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2019". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  5. McMichael, Andrew J.; Rowland-Jones, Sarah L. (19 April 2001). "Cellular immune responses to HIV". Nature. 410 (6831): 980–987. Bibcode:2001Natur.410..980M. doi:10.1038/35073658. PMID 11309628.
  6. Weatherall, David. The Thalassaemia Syndromes. ISBN 0-86542-664-3.
  7. Gibbons, Richard J; Picketts, David J; Villard, Laurent; Higgs, Douglas R (1995). "Mutations in a putative global transcriptional regulator cause X-linked mental retardation with α-thalassemia (ATR-X syndrome)". Cell. 80 (6): 837–845. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(95)90287-2. PMID 7697714. S2CID 16411046.
  8. Hoch, Werner; McConville, John; Helms, Sigrun; Newsom-Davis, John; Melms, Arthur; Vincent, Angela (2001). "Auto-antibodies to the receptor tyrosine kinase MuSK in patients with myasthenia gravis without acetylcholine receptor antibodies". Nature Medicine. 7 (3): 365–368. doi:10.1038/85520. ISSN 1546-170X. PMID 11231638. closed access
  9. "MRC Molecular Haematology Unit Website".
  10. "About Us". MRC Human Immunology Unit.
  11. "Studies show promising results for new Oxford COVID-19 vaccine". Open Access Government. 25 January 2021.
  12. 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.
  13. "Who's who entry Andrew McMichael".
  14. "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.
  15. "WIMM website".
  16. Townsend, Alain (March 2020). "Vincenzo Cerundolo 1959–2020". Nature Immunology. 21 (3): 243–243. doi:10.1038/s41590-020-0617-5.
  17. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2019". NobelPrize.org. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
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