London 2012 anti-doping facility to become first UK phenome-research centre

Hannah Blake

pharmaphorum

Once the fun and games are all over, the London 2012 anti-doping facilities in Harlow will be developed into a world-class resource to help discover more targeted treatment for patients. The facilities, provided by GSK and operated by King’s College London, are currently being used to test athletes taking part in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The new MRC-NIHR Phenome Centre will enable researchers to explore the characteristics of disease in order to develop new drugs and treatments for patients. Phenotyping technology and expertise will be available to both researchers and the life sciences industry, to accelerate the translation of medical discoveries into better healthcare.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) have both invested £5 million, which will fund the new centre over five years. The centre will be led by a collaboration of academic partners, led by Imperial College London, and Bruker and Waters Corporation, suppliers of nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry equipment.

“There are no limits to the health-related breakthroughs we might see as a result of research carried out at the Phenome Centre. In future generations, perhaps diabetes, cancer or heart disease will be consigned to history. Alternatively, we might learn to more fully understand and eradicate obesity or other social health problems. Research on the scale that will take place at the centre will, we hope, mean fast, comprehensive results over the coming years.”

Dr. Rohit Khanna, Vice President of Worldwide Marketing for Waters.

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, is to announce the plans for this first-of-its-kind phenome centre in London at a conference with healthcare professionals today.