Updates from the Therapeutic Innovation Networks

Issue 27, December 2021

Updates from the Therapeutic Innovation Networks (TINs)

Celebrating the TINs highlight of the year – the successful second call of the TINs Pilot Data Scheme (PDS) for early career researchers.

The second PDS call was launched in July starting with our Biologics TIN. Candidates were required to submit a written application and deliver a pitch of their proposal to a panel of academic and industrial members at series of a Dragon’s Den style events held over the past few weeks.

Applicants participating in this scheme were supported throughout the entire process with tailored translational training initiatives through ACCELERATE, the translational training programme managed by the Academic Careers Office (ACO). Grant writing workshops were delivered by Translational Research managers from the TRO, and all applicants were offered training sessions with an external consultant to hone their pitching skills prior to their presentations.

We received 43 excellent applications in total across all 6 modalities, and we were able to fund 26 projects (60%) awarding over £269,000 of funding from the UCL/Wellcome Trust Translational Partnership Award.

Biologics - 3 awards (£55,834)
Cell & Gene Therapy - 7 awards (£65,464)
Devices & Diagnostics - 6 awards (£52,540)
Regenerative Medicine - 4 awards (£38,091)
Repurposing - 2 awards (£19,180)
Small Molecules - 4 awards (£37,900)

The Panel members were very impressed by the high quality of proposals and presentations delivered by the applicants and commented on how difficult it was deciding which applications should receive funding in this Call. Applicants have recently been notified of the decision of the Panels, and we will be sharing the names and project titles of our 26 happy early career researchers in the new year.

Irrespective of the outcome, we hope that all applicants benefited from taking part in the PDS, and found the training and support provided during the process invaluable, especially for helping with future translational research applications. We thank you for your participation and encourage you all to reach out to the TRO for additional application support going forwards.

TIN-Specific Updates

Cell and Gene Therapy
Join over 50 UCL academics and clinicians in representing UCL's strength and capabilities in Cell & Gene Therapy

The Cell & Gene Therapy Therapeutic Innovation Network (TIN) has created on online, internal resource to showcase the diversity/depth and breadth of expertise within the Cell & Gene Therapy space across UCL and our partner hospitals with the aim of facilitating collaborations.

The resource can be accessed below by UCL-only (sign in to view) - we are keen for feedback, so if you have any comments on the structure of this resource and how you might use it going forwards, please contact Helen Cooksley (h.cooksley@ucl.ac.uk).

Access the Cell & Gene Therapy Capabilities Sharepoint

Are you missing from this resource, and would like to demonstrate your capabilities in this modality? Complete the short form below to appear here and raise your profile in the field of Cell & Gene Therapy, not only across UCL but with also with external academic and industrial partners leading to rewarding collaboration and funding opportunities.

Complete the Form

Repurposing
Upcoming event highlighting medicine agencies pilot to support Repurposing in academia

European Medicines Agency (EMA) and Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) have launched a pilot project (deadline 28th February) to support the repurposing of medicines, providing regulatory support and advice to help generate a data package robust enough to support a future application by a pharmaceutical company.

In this UCL-only seminar on Friday 14th January (10.30-11.30am), we will:

Discuss the eligibility criteria to participate in this initiative
Outline how the Repurposing TIN can assist investigators with the preparation of a proposal to increase chances of funding success
Identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, which are likely to enhance the quality of a repurposing plan

Small Molecules
PROTAC & AUTAC Opportunity for UCL researchers

PROTACs/AUTACs are a new technology that chemically knocks-out a protein of interest by directing it to the Proteasome or to Autophagy. They are particularly useful for cell biology and in-vivo studies.

The Small Molecules TIN has purchased a stock of molecules suitable for modification into functional PROTACs. We have also purchased a stock of AUTAC4 (HY-W073762-Autophagy Ligand and HY-128837-Nutlin carboxylic acid, a mitophagy enhancer) that does not require further chemistry. These molecules are being made freely available to interested research groups across UCL.

If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity to obtain a PROTAC or AUTAC for your research, please complete an expression of interest form below (we encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience, as there is limited stock available for these molecules).

Express your Interest

Translational Training

If you find yourself with some free time over the festive period, we encourage you to take part in ACCELERATE Potential - an online, self-paced, open-access short course covering an introduction to translational research, how to get started, and where to find support.

Access the Online Course

TINs website

TRO website

Our mailing address is:
UCL Translational Research Office,
Maple House, 1st Floor 1A,
149 Tottenham Court Road,
London, W1T 7JA

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