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National Mouse Genetics Network
The MRC National Mouse Genetics Network is a major new £22 million investment in mouse genetics for disease modelling that will capitalise on the UK’s international excellence in the biomedical sciences. The Network is comprised of 7 challenge-led research clusters, with members distributed across the UK. Members of the MRC WIMM will be involved in two of the seven clusters.
Professor Claus Nerlov, will be a member of the network’s Haem cluster which is led by Dr David Kent at the University of York. The Haem cluster aims to develop new tools to revolutionise how we study and manipulate haematopoietic/immune cell function for clinical benefit.
“The MRC NMGN Haem cluster will harness the power of modern mouse genetics to better understand how blood cancers arise, and to improve the develop of new treatments for these diseases” says Professor Nerlov, Professor of Stem Cell Biology at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, “we are delighted to join this effort alongside some of the best UK researchers in the field."
Dr Stephen Twigg, a Principal Investigator in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine, will be a member of the Congenital Anomalies cluster led by Professor Karen Liu at King’s College London. This cluster aims to make precisely engineered mouse models of gene variants identified in patients to assess how they lead to disease, often through effects on multiple organ systems. As many of the genes implicated in congenital anomalies play multiple roles in different tissues during development, this cluster will bring together diverse expertise to determine disease mechanisms and identify potential therapies for these disorders
The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell will act as the central hub of the Network, sharing access to specialist facilities, resources, data, and training with all other Network members. The partnerships established by the Network will enable integration of basic science research with clinical findings in order to accelerate our understanding of human disease and translation to patient benefit.
“We’re excited to announce this first set of research clusters forming the MRC National Mouse Genetics Network and to synergising our efforts to deliver impactful preclinical science through comprehensive sharing of data, resources, and expertise” says Professor Owen Samson, Director of the MRC National Mouse Genetics Network. “By building connections between researchers working in such diverse fields and through development of comprehensive data-sharing infrastructure, the Network will create a platform that better links mouse genetics research to clinical advances.”