Meet the Team: Prof Mike Hanna

Professor Michael Hanna is Director of Queen Square Institute of Neurology

I've been involved in this project right from the beginning. When I was appointed director of the Institute in 2011, I proposed a new building. I felt it was crucial for the future, to provide a better environment for our neuroscientists and translational research. We needed a building that was more technologically advanced, could support more people and train the next generation.

There's a fantastic history at Queen Square. The hospital was established in 1860 and in 1950, the hospital established an Institute of Neurology. There's always been a really strong tradition of translational research - where we take fundamental science and work out how that can benefit patients through diagnosis and treatment.

““The concept of the dual hub is really important to me. We’ll be undertaking powerful discovery science in the laboratories on one side and taking those discoveries to patients at the Queen Square

It became evident that the environment in which we were operating was not world class, even though the research was world class. We needed a bigger, better environment to support our researchers to deliver. It was really important to continue to co-locate clinical activity alongside science, which has been the hallmark of Queen Square ever since it began.  It enables interaction between clinicians and scientists in a way that doesn't happen in almost any other place in the world.

My role is to lead on the project for the Institute of Neurology. I head up the strategic delivery group, where we have representation from basic scientists, heads of departments and experts in key areas, such as imaging, stem cells, genetics, bioinformatics. This is such a big, complicated project that we wanted to ensure from the beginning that we had the involvement of key stakeholders and people who really knew how the building should run.

I also work closely with Alan Thompson through the steering committee and liaise with all the heads of departments on planning and sharing the strategy development. 

“We have brilliant people, and they can excel if they're in the right environment with the right technologies that allow them to work faster with genetics, stem cells, imaging cellular imaging. Our people know what to do. They just need the tools to do it

The biggest challenge in such an ambitious project has been to get the project off the ground – making sure all the stakeholders were aligned and were buying into the vision, as well as actually raising the money. £281,000,000 is a lot of money to raise and it has come from a whole range of organisations, so I’ve been involved in everything from big grant applications to meetings and tours with donors and philanthropists, as well as the major initiative to establish a UK Dementia Research Institute. We applied to the MRC (Medical Research Council) for UCL to be the UK hub and were successful, resulting in £40 million towards the building costs. 

The concept of the dual hub is really important to me. I'm looking forward to having a vibrant community across two locations, a five-minute walk apart. We’ll be undertaking powerful discovery science in the laboratories on one side and taking those discoveries to patients at the Queen Square end, where our clinical trials research takes place. 

Seeing the building coming out of the ground and actually existing, is really rewarding. It  wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the efforts of so many people working together to make it happen. It’s not finished, but the building enthuses me already. There’s a feeling of space, when you walk around. That’s exciting. Having a really good environment for people to work is inspirational.

There’s really exciting science happening right now in Queen Square. I think with a high-quality environment and new technologies that can accelerate the experiments, it’s the right sort of environment to help people deliver breakthroughs. We have brilliant people, and they can excel if they're in the right environment with the right technologies that allow them to work faster with genetics, stem cells, imaging cellular imaging. Our people know what to do. They just need the tools to do it. And I think that's what's going to happen.