Darrin Disley OBE opens £1million medical laboratory
Monday 19 November 2018
SALFORD’s £1m Translational Medicine Laboratories were officially opened on Friday by one of the UK’s most successful bio-entrepreneurs.
Dr Darrin Disley, OBE, the former Horizon Discovery chief, angel investor, honorary fellow and chemistry graduate of the University of Salford, cut the ribbon to declare the Cockcroft Building’s second-floor facility open for business.
Translational Medicine is an area of biomedical research which aims to expedite the discovery of new diagnostic and treatments, so called‘bench-to-bedside’ applied science.
Researchers in the fields of oncology, tropical disease,zoonotic disease, genetics, bioinformatics, cardiovascular disease and more have already attracted more than £3m in grants in the past year or more.
Appliance of science
Opening the labs, Dr Disley, who has spent two days on campus meeting staff and students, said: “Translational medicine is fundamental if we are to find solutions to how to feel, fuel and heal an ageing population, particularly in the developing world.
“The science and its applications are so vital to us helping people lead more productive and better lives.
“Maybe people like myself can support the unified School to help entrepreneurship be a driver of science and its impacts.”
Current PhD student in oncology John Nuttall, who also completed his bachelor degree at Salford, said he was delighted with the labs: “The equipment is top notch and the lab is full of PhD students and postdoctoral researchers who really want to get the best from it.
“It's a really exciting place to be and a great opportunity for new researchers to get right up to the frontier. I couldn't be happier!”
Partners
Before the ribbon cutting Professor Sheila Pankhurst, Dean of School, welcomed representatives from research partners the Healthy Life Foundation and The Foxpoint Foundation,saying medical research at Salford had very rapidly become a “force to be reckoned with”, with 60 papers published in the past 18 months under director Professor Marija Krstic-Demonacos.
And she thanked the technical staff under Helen Bradshaw and the Estates team led by Jodie Lonsdale.
Find out more
Gareth Hollyman, Senior Press & PR Officer (Science)
0161 295 6895 g.b.hollyman@salford.ac.uk
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