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Earlier this month, the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine hosted a visit from the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust, who have supported the establishment of the new Therapy Acceleration Laboratory (TAL) at the Institute.

The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust visit the Therapy Acceleration Laboratory. Pictured (L-R) Marlen Metzner, Jonathan Walker, Prof. Paresh Vyas, Batchimeg Usukhbayar, Richard Benson, Murshida Begum, Liz Charal, Prof. KJ Patel.
Pictured (L-R) Marlen Metzner (TAL), Jonathan Walker (Development Office), Prof. Paresh Vyas, Batchimeg Usukhbayar (TAL), Richard Benson, Murshida Begum (TAL), Liz Charal, Prof. KJ Patel.

Liz Charal, Chair of Trustees, and Richard Benson, Director, of the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust met with Professor KJ Patel and Professor Paresh Vyas, along with several staff members of the TAL. They visited the newly refurbished laboratory space and were shown several pieces of equipment that have been purchased through the generous support of the Trust.

 

Professor Vyas discussing the value of high-throughput, automated sample processing in the Therapy Acceleration Laboratory.

Professor Vyas explains the value of high-throughput, automated sample processing in the Therapy Acceleration Laboratory. 

 

The TAL will analyse human samples from national and international Phase I to Phase III trials of novel targeted therapies that aim to maximise patient impact, transform understanding of disease biology, and dissect the mechanisms of action of therapies as well as disease response. Funding from the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust has been instrumental in purchasing key equipment for use within this specialised and highly-automated laboratory. Once fully operational, the TAL will be accredited to ISO-17025, enabling patient sample analysis at the start of clinical trials and patient stratification into different therapy arms during trials. Analyses will explore how therapies work in patients, giving greater confidence and insight to drug regulators.

 

The plaque reads: 'The Therapy Acceleration Laboratory was established through the generous support of the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.'

A plaque outside of the Therapy Acceleration Laboratory acknowledges the generous support that helped to establish the initiative.

 

 “We are deeply grateful for the support the Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust provided for this initiative” said Professor KJ Patel, Director of the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Oxford, “the Therapy Acceleration Laboratory will allow our science to make a key difference to human health”.

The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust was established in 1964 and supports translational medical research as well as innovation and improvement in the wider healthcare sector.