Grant Successes in Antimicrobial Resistance and Cell & Gene Therapy

We are pleased to announce recent grant awards in UCL Biochemical Engineering in cell and gene therapies and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in collaboration with other groups at UCL. These grants reflect our ongoing commitment to providing leadership and innovation in biochemical engineering and interdisciplinary work with other subjects. We can also announce that we have won a grant to develop a laboratory automation system.

FAST CAR-T: Faster, Adaptive and Scalable Technologies For CAR-T Manufacture

Prof Qasim Rafiq (UCL Biochemical Engineering), together with Dr Stephen Goldrick, has won a £2m EPSRC grant as part of the Accelerating the Medicines Revolutions Large Grant call, entitled “FAST CAR-T: Faster, Adaptive and Scalable Technologies For CAR-T Manufacture”. This is a collaboration with Dr Claire Roddie (UCL Haematology & Cancer Institute), Prof Gary Montague (University of Teesside) and Prof Wendy Phillips (UWE Bristol), and will focus on the rapid manufacture of CAR-T for patient-specific therapies, and large-scale manufacture of CAR-T for allogeneic applications.

Centre for Doctoral Training in Engineering Solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance

Dr Michael Thomas (UCL Biochemical Engineering) as part of a cross-UCL bid led by Prof Lena Ciric, has jointly secured a £6.3million Centre for Doctoral Training in Engineering Solutions for Antimicrobial Resistance funded by EPSRC and BBSRC. Hosted by the London Centre for Nanotechnology and bringing together a leadership team from Biochemical Engineering, CEGE, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Mathematics, the focus will be on three main research themes: (i) prevention of infections, (ii) improved surveillance systems, digital health, and rapid diagnostic tests, and (iii) increasing supply and development of antimicrobials and vaccines (novel therapies).

We can also announce that Dr Steffi Frank and colleagues Dr Jack Jeffries, Dr Michael Thomas, Dr Leonardo Rios Solis, and Dr Duygu Dikicioglu were awarded equipment funds worth for an Opentrons Flex, a highly user-friendly and customisable laboratory automation system that offers our researchers a wide range of laboratory workflows, from cloning to protein purification.

Find out more

• Prof Qasim Rafiq
• Dr Stephen Goldrick
• Dr Michael Thomas
• Dr Steffi Frank
• Dr Leonardo Rios Solis
• Dr Duygu Dikicioglu