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35 Years of the MRC WIMM

In 1989, Sir David Weatherall founded the Institute of Molecular Medicine to bridge the gap between basic science and clinical medicine. To mark 35 years since the MRC WIMM opened its labs, we're looking back on some of our highlights and achievements.

We spoke with many of our current and former scientists, who shared details from their time here and some of the Institute's lasting contributions to science.

Reflecting on her time at the Institute, Dame Kay Davies said:

It was very supportive, everyone was highly competitive but very friendly. It was just a great community of people.

Some of the highlights mentioned in the video include Professor Angela Vincent's work on the role of the immune system in neurological diseases, the development of prenatal diagnosis for genetic diseases (particularly thalassemia and sickle cell disease) and Sir Peter Ratcliffe's Nobel Prize-winning research on oxygen sensing.

 

The WIMM started me off and it's starting that's the most important thing in science.

- Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe, Nobel Prize Laureate (2019, Physiology or Medicine)

 

Learn more from our interactive timeline:

MRC WIMM Interactive Timeline

Accessible Version of the MRC WIMM Timeline.

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