UK-wide nucleic acid network launches to connect research, industry and innovation

A new national network has launched to accelerate innovation across nucleic acids, bringing together researchers, industry partners and policymakers from across the UK.

By fostering collaboration at a national scale, the initiative will support the development of next-generation therapeutics, diagnostics and enabling technologies.

These advances will deliver impact across multiple sectors, including healthcare, sustainable agriculture, environmental remediation and biotechnology.

Research on nucleic acids, primarily DNA and RNA, is vital for understanding the genetic blueprints of all living cells and viruses and many of the molecular functions that form the basis of life.

DNA helix

Currently, researchers across a range of disciplines who could contribute to nucleic acid innovation are often dispersed across disciplines and institutions, limiting opportunities for collaboration and slowing the translation of discoveries into real-world applications.

Led by the University of Portsmouth in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, Newcastle University, University of Sheffield, University of Strathclyde and University of York, the network aims to create a cross-disciplinary community to translate cutting-edge research into real-world impact. 

It will connect expertise across disciplines, including molecular biology, chemistry, engineering, computational science, and biotechnology.

The network is supported by over £900,000 in combined funding, including £650,000 from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and £267,000 in partner contributions.

Edinburgh Involvement

Professor Susan Rosser, Director of the Engineering Biology for Advanced Therapeutics Hub, will lead the University of Edinburgh’s involvement in the network, supported by Dr Alice Barrier, Head of Operations, and Dr Rennos Fragkoudis, Head of Edinburgh Genome Foundry.

The goals of the network are aligned with the aims of the Advanced Therapeutics Hub: to harness engineering biology to develop safer, more precise and controllable next-generation gene therapies and advanced therapeutics. 

The Hub brings together expertise in synthetic biology, gene regulation, therapeutic design and translational innovation to help shape the future of advanced medicines. 

As a partner of the Hub, the Edinburgh Genome Foundry brings expertise in automated DNA design and engineering, helping academic and industry researchers design, build and test new biological systems and tools more quickly and efficiently.

Nucleic acid research has enormous potential to transform healthcare, sustainable agriculture and so much more, but realising that potential requires the kind of coordinated, cross-disciplinary collaboration that this network is designed to enable. BBSRC is proud to support this initiative, which will help connect talented researchers and innovators from across the UK and accelerate the translation of cutting-edge science into real-world solutions. We look forward to seeing the community grow and the impact it will deliver.

Dr Amanda Collis Executive Director for Research Strategy and Programmes at BBSRC
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