|
Based in the village of Roslin, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, The Roslin Institute can truly lay claim to the title "world leader".
"We always look for the best; we’re especially keen to meet people from a genetics or bioinformatics background. We mainly hire at the post-doctoral scientists and technical support specialists level."
Of course, the institute’s most famous innovation was the birth of Dolly, the world’s first mammal cloned from an adult cell. However, Assistant Director John Withers is keen to stress the institute’s broader expertise.
He says, "Roslin Institute is certainly one of the world's leading centres for research on farm and other animals. Our internationally recognised programmes on molecular and quantitative genetics, genomics, early development, reproduction, animal behaviour and welfare have pioneered methods for the genetic modification and cloning of farm animals.
"Our research looks for new opportunities in animal breeding, biotechnology and animal production. This also informs national and international policy on animal welfare, the environment and genetic diversity. We’re much more than just Dolly, and a great deal of our work has an application in human health."
|
|
For example, Roslin scientists first crossed the boundaries between agriculture and human healthcare in the mid 1980s. Here, scientists used transgenic technologies to produce human therapeutic proteins in the milk of genetically modified sheep and cattle. This work resulted in Tracy, the world’s first transgenic animal.
As John explains, the institute’s record of innovation goes back much further. "Arguably our biggest achievement was our pioneering involvement to help develop artificial insemination in agriculture. Commercially, we’ve seen five spin outs – one of which has been acquired through a management buy-out, one of which is now quoted on the London Stock Exchange, one which is still a subsidiary of the institute and one which has ceased trading.
"Although it is always disappointing when there is a failure, we’re not ashamed that one of the companies didn’t succeed. If you are not prepared to take calculated risks then opportunities will be missed. Valuable lessons can be learnt."
The institute started life in 1917 as a department of the University of Edinburgh, going through many changes over the years until it finally changed its name in 1993 to Roslin Institute (Edinburgh). As John explains, "Our activities are fairly broad, so we didn’t want to be boxed in by an overly descriptive name. That’s why we chose the name from village which is our home. Indeed, historically we’re a collection of three organisations, so the need for an all-encompassing name made sense."
"Our traditional base had been UK agriculture, but now we incorporate biomedical research as well. Formally, we split our activities into two groups, the first being genetics, genomics and bioinformatics. Here, we have programmes in each of the major farm animal species. Our research aims to locate and then identify the genes that control key traits, such as disease resistance and reproductive health.
"The second area is transgenics, nuclear transfer and embryo stem cell. We have programmes in the genetic modification of livestock, chickens and mice – using the nuclear transfer technology which we helped to perfect. Our human stem cell research group is the largest in the UK, and we’re also part of the Scottish Stem Cell Network."
Today, the Roslin Institute is home to some 300 people – including students and visiting workers. Of that figure, 150 are directly involved in research – and 30 of these people are at "principal investigator" level, senior scientists who lead projects. The institute counts 100 PhDs amongst its staff.
John explains the kind of people they tend to hire. "We always look for the best; we’re especially keen to meet people from a genetics or bioinformatics background. We mainly hire at the post-doctoral scientists and technical support specialists level. The vast majority of our PhDs tend to have come straight from an academic role."
"We’re able to offer an environment which is in many ways similar to academia. However, our long-term objective driven strategy means that we’re partially freed from the constraints of three year research plans.
"We are well placed to carry out long term strategic research programmes given the facilities that are available at Roslin. It’s important to remember that we’re not a contract research organisation – we undertake basic and strategic research that fits within our overall scientific strategy.
"As many of our staff come from academia, another key difference they find is the absence of a teaching commitment. This really frees up their time to concentrate on long-term research. However, like the best universities, there are many different specialisms on site – including molecular and cell biology, endocrinology, quantitative genetics, developmental biology, mathematics, animal behaviour and nutrition."
For anyone coming to work at the institute, there are many key factors. Roslin’s international outlook is vital – with commercial partners across the whole of its research portfolio, as well as academic and commercial partners the world over. The institute’s specialist facilities are also impressive, including modern research laboratories and extensive farm facilities of over 1500 acres.
The Scottish life sciences sector is faring better than the rest of the world. "The global industry is fairly stagnant at the moment – you need to have a good product to succeed in the current world market. In that sense, Scotland is doing well."
"The Scottish biotechnology cluster is also important – highlighting the world-class research taking place in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Some people don’t realise how close these centres are to one another – and how close they are to the rest of the world. For instance, you can get from the US to Edinburgh or Glasgow faster than you could get from the US to Cambridge."
Looking to the future, John cites two likely developments. "I think the trend in Scotland will be a mixture of consolidation and sustainable start-ups. Combining growth with sustainability is absolutely vital."
August 2003
Contact Details
John Withers
Assistant Director and Company Secretary
john.withers@bbsrc.ac.uk
+44(0)131 527 4439
Fax:
+44(0)131 527 4499
Web URL:
www.roslin.ac.uk
|
