Sep 10 2010 11:00AM
Suffolk is set to play an increasingly central role in the development of the growing biosciences sector in East Anglia, with the opening next year of a world-class biotechnology teaching laboratory at UCS, according to a leading scientist at the higher education institution.
Professor Brendon Noble, who is a biotechnologist specialising in the exploration of healthy ageing, the repair of osteoporotic bones and osteoarthritic cartilage, has recently taken up the post of the new Head of the School of Health, Science and Social Care at UCS. He believes that the new biotechnology laboratory at UCS, which has received funding of £500,000 from Suffolk County Council and the East of England Development Agency, will allow for far greater collaboration between the institution and industry, through the delivery of courses tailored to meet the dual demands of research and commercial applications, while also attracting international biotechnology experts to Suffolk.
“We will be focusing on translational science, giving student scientists the skills and knowledge they need to understand that centre-ground between something brilliant being discovered on the laboratory bench and being turned into something useful and marketable in the commercial world. At the moment, that is still a huge journey,” explained Professor Noble. He said that the academic focus of the courses run within the new laboratory will attempt to bridge the nationally acknowledged gap that currently exists. “We want to overcome the gap between what universities are doing and what industry is doing, bringing these two elements together. We can overcome that by training scientists that also have a business understanding.”
He recognises, however, that such an approach can present a variety of challenges on both sides. “Some of these challenges can be more philosophical than real, with certain suspicions around areas such as ownership of Intellectual Property Rights. However, to move forward today you have to work in partnership with companies, getting together to raise funding and develop products, so we need scientists that have a clear understanding of that relationship.”
He believes that the laboratory, which is currently being built on the rejuvenated Waterfront in Ipswich and due to open in early in 2011, will allow UCS to offer courses that encompass a greater practical element. “From the point of view of Suffolk and Ipswich, we are teaching a lot of courses here, but what we needed was a laboratory, not for pure research necessarily, but to offer effective teaching on how to do that research and take it forward. That’s what this is about.” UCS will seek to train the next generation of scientists, technologists, operation theatre practitioners and radiographers with students drawn from the local pool and further afield. “This will be a real functioning research laboratory for use in training. In a similar way to our clinical skills laboratory which is an exact mock-up of a hospital ward, allowing students to fully experience the processes of working on an actual ward the laboratory will do the same for health scientists.” He continued, “We also want to bring everything together – hospitals, healthcare and pure science – to offer an interdisciplinary approach.”
Professor Noble’s own career experiences are playing a large part in shaping this new strategic direction in the School of Health, Science and Social Care. “One of the things that I’ve found as I’ve been involved in this area is that it is very difficult to find individuals who have a biosciences background but who also appreciate, if you like, the more business-focused elements of biotechnology.”
He believes that if Suffolk can become the recognised source of students with such an understanding it represents huge potential and opportunities for the county. “With companies such as Genzyme down the road, where exciting things are happening, and through to Cambridge, it would be fantastic if we could produce biotechnologists with the skills companies are seeking.”
Looking further ahead, Professor Noble also sees such courses acting as a catalyst for further opportunities for Suffolk in the field of biosciences, both nationally and internationally. “Having these skills in Suffolk would drive inward investment by bringing new companies into the county and encouraging new spin-outs and companies to start up, alongside presenting partnership opportunities. It’s very exciting to think that we could bring in interested parties from all over the world.”
The opening of the new laboratory is also well aligned to meet growing demand within the scientific sector. “Regenerative medicine is rated as the number one future scientific job,” said Professor Noble. “The growth of this area is incredible and driven by technology that is constantly improving and becoming more credible. That’s why we are concentrating on this area. We are a young institution with a can-do outlook and we want to get out there and also encourage people to come here.” The location of UCS is another clear benefit in helping it to fulfil its ambitions. “We’re close to the train station and can be in London in an hour, along with Cambridge and Norwich, so it’s absolutely perfect for interacting with other universities. UCS is closely linked with the Universities of East Anglia and Essex.”
Celia Hodson, Chief Executive, Choose Suffolk, said, “This latest development at UCS will be an exciting addition to Suffolk’s growing portfolio of bioscience ventures and will further cement the county’s growing reputation in this field of science. It is also exciting to learn more about the ambitions of UCS to attract leading international scientists to the county and its willingness to engage and collaborate with companies locally, regionally and internationally in the coming years.”