ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED
2 December 2021
The jointly-funded postdoctoral fellowship scheme is helping to support the next generation of scientists and foster collaborations between academia and industry.
This postdoctoral fellowship scheme is co-funded with the Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UK Research and Innovation, and aims to drive research progress on types of advanced therapies known as cell and oligonucleotide therapies. From an outstanding field of more than 60 applications, a rigorous selection process has resulted in fellowships for seven successful candidates.
Ryan Hicks, Senior Director of Cell Therapy, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, talks about the exciting potential of the seven projects we are co-funding with the MRC
Advanced therapies could revolutionise treatments for disease over the coming decades. The funded projects include ones focusing on cardiovascular, renal and immunological diseases as well as diabetes. Research is also focussed on understanding patient safety, delivery in the human body and interactions with the immune system for these next generation therapeutics.
Advanced therapies have the potential to provide new ways to treat previously untreatable diseases, making it possible to develop medicines to address significant unmet needs.
Cell therapies work by repairing, replacing, modulating or eliminating diseased or damaged cells and tissue using stem cells, healthy cells from a donor or genetically engineered cells. Cell therapies can also be used to deliver therapeutic drugs to a specific part of the body.
Oligonucleotide therapies are short pieces of DNA or RNA that target disease by silencing or switching on genes. 
The scheme has awarded funding to seven UK-based postdoctoral researchers:
- Dr Holly Foster at the University of Cambridge working with Professor Cédric Ghevaert
- Dr Francesco Galli, working with Professor Clare Baldock at the University of Manchester
- Dr Christos Georgiadis in the group of Professor Waseem Qasim, at University College London
- Dr Francois Halloy at the University of Oxford with Professor Matthew Wood
- Dr Oladapo Olaniru at Kings College London with Professor Shanta Persaud
- Dr Lay Ping Ong with Dr Catherine Wilson at the University of Cambridge
- Dr Lyra Randzavola with Professors Marina Botto and Anastasios Karadimitris at Imperial College London
Each fellow will receive funding to enable academically-led, independent research, while supporting the recipients to develop links with industry through secondments, training and mentorship opportunities. Their projects will involve working with stem cells and primary immune cells and will make use of technologies including gene editing and targeted delivery.
MRC recognises the importance of supporting postdoctoral researchers at key transition points in their careers. We are especially pleased to be co-funding this exciting cohort of future research leaders. Our industry-academic partnership with AstraZeneca will not only allow fellows to improve their knowledge about the translational pipeline and the contribution of commercial organisations to healthcare innovation, but will also provide an opportunity to develop the skills necessary to turn their independent research ideas into new knowledge and improve health outcomes. We look forward to following the outcomes of their projects into advanced therapies.
I am looking forward to collaborating with these new fellows, driving their important research forward. Each research proposal has the potential to make a real-world impact and to transform lives by delivering progress in advanced therapeutics. This is a fantastic example of how collaboration between academia and industry can lead to exciting and productive discoveries that combine the strengths of all involved.
