Annual Review 2004 - Wellcome Trust

MOLECULES, GENES AND CELLS41susceptibility; and understandinghow gene variants contribute to riskof disease in the population and howgenetic factors contribute biologicallyto a disease process.The Centre, located in the HenryWellcome Building of Genomic Medicine,houses multidisciplinary research teamsin human genetics, functional genomics,bioinformatics, statistical genetics andstructural biology. The Centre is focusingon three main disease areas in its geneticsresearch programme: neurogenetics,genetics of inflammation and immunity,and the genetics of cardiovasculardisease/metabolic syndrome.A Senior Research Fellowship in ClinicalScience was awarded to Dr Julian Knight(Characterisation of genetic variationregulating gene expression within theMHC class III region). A Senior ResearchFellowship in Basic Biomedical Sciencewas renewed: Dr Dominique Gauguier(Functional genomics of type 2 diabetesquantitative trait loci in rat models).A Research Career DevelopmentFellowship was awarded to Dr RichardWade-Martins (Functional analysisof the tau genomic locus and its rolein neurodegeneration).Dr Kalim Mir, a Wellcome CareerDevelopment Fellow, received aTechnology Development Grant (Ultrathroughputparallel DNA sequencing usinga heuristic single molecule array strategy).Researchers at the Centre also receivedtwo clinical training fellowships.www.well.ox.ac.uk• Population genetic structure: see page 6Wellcome Trust Centrefor Cell-Matrix ResearchThe Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, led by Professor MartinHumphries, is an interdisciplinary researchcentre embedded within the Facultyof Life Sciences at the Universityof Manchester. Its long-term aims areto elucidate the structure and functionof the extracellular matrix (ECM) andcell–matrix adhesions, define thecontribution of cell–matrix interactionsto human diseases, and developapproaches for preventing and treatingthese diseases.Research within the Centre is organisedas four integrated programmes:(1) molecular basis and cellular controlof ECM assembly, (2) organisationof signalling at the cell–ECM interface,(3) microenvironmental determinationof cell fate, and (4) cell–ECM engineeringand tissue regeneration. While eachprogramme is highly focused onextracellular matrices and cell–matrixinteractions, the long-term promiseof the work overlaps with some of themost important areas of biomedicalresearch – signalling, tissue engineeringand medical genetics.In 2001, the University of Manchesterwas awarded £15 million from the JointInfrastructure Fund (JIF) to help set upa new Integrative Centre for MolecularCell Biology. An additional £35 million fromthe university was used to create a largeresearch facility for biomedical researchsited at a central location in theuniversity’s biomedical corridor, adjacentto the Manchester Royal Infirmary andthe Wellcome Trust Clinical ResearchFacility. This building, named in honourof Professor Michael Smith, was occupiedin 2004 and now houses the WellcomeTrust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research.During the year a Senior ResearchFellowship in Basic Biomedical Sciencewas awarded to Richard Kammerer(Elucidating the mechanisms ofangiopoietin function and amyloidformation by protein engineering andde novo design). A Research CareerDevelopment Fellowship was awardedto Dr Eleni Tzima (Role of cell–celljunctions and integrins in endothelialcell responses to fluid shear stress).A programme grant was awardedto Professor Neil Bulleid (see left).www.wtccmr.man.ac.ukWellcome Trust/Cancer ResearchUK Gurdon InstituteThe Wellcome Trust/Cancer ResearchUK Gurdon Institute of Cancer andDevelopmental Biology at the Universityof Cambridge, chaired by ProfessorJim Smith, focuses on two inter-relatedaspects of cell biology: how cells acquireand maintain their normal function duringdevelopment, and how they escape fromnormal controls and become cancerous.The Institute adopted its new nameduring the year, in recognition of thepioneering scientific contributions madeby its founding Director, Sir John Gurdon.Sir John was also awarded the RoyalSociety’s Copley Medal, its top honour.In 2004, the Institute also occupied itsnew building, constructed with supportfrom the Joint Infrastructure Fund.www.gurdon.cam.ac.uk• Research resources: see page 19Normal red blood cells.