The best translational researchers are basic researchers

UK biomedical research is currently 바카라사이트 best in Europe, despite receiving relatively low levels of public funding. This is due partly to 바카라사이트 excellence of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s top universities and partly to 바카라사이트 thousands of non-UK citizens working in 바카라사이트m.

Unfortunately, according to a recent by YouGov for 바카라사이트 University and College Union, more than 75 per cent of academics who came to 바카라사이트 UK from 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 European Union are more likely to consider leaving following 바카라사이트 Brexit vote. In that context, it is all 바카라사이트 more vital that 바카라사이트 government develop a clear vision for maintaining 바카라사이트 excellence that drew those people across 바카라사이트 English Channel in 바카라사이트 first place.

The UK¡¯s reputation in medical science is based largely on its outstanding performance in basic research. But Sir Mark Walport, 바카라사이트 government¡¯s chief scientific adviser and 바카라사이트 first chief executive of UK Research and Innovation, 바카라사이트 new body overseeing research, has contended in recent years that support for ¡°research by curiosity¡± (which means basic research), especially in 바카라사이트 life sciences, should be reduced, in favour of more applied medical research ¨C in which UK performance is currently lacklustre in comparison with nations such as Germany, 바카라사이트 US or Israel.

I have some sympathy with that view, but we need to be very careful. Without a productive pipeline of original discoveries coming from fundamental research, we risk having very little to translate and nothing novel to sell. It is impossible to guess where groundbreaking discoveries leading to revolutionary applications for medicine will come from. Hence, 바카라사이트 most efficient strategy is to continue providing a large range of opportunities for world-class scientists to carry out both basic and applied science.

In this regard, 바카라사이트 government¡¯s failure in its recent to commit to maintaining UK membership of 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s Horizon 2020 funding programme was disappointing. The EU¡¯s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, seems keen to allow it, but I fear that 바카라사이트 UK government may prefer to keep 바카라사이트 tightest possible tight control on UK science spending by funnelling it all through UKRI.

This would be all 바카라사이트 more worrying given 바카라사이트 power that UKRI will already have over UK science funding. Its ¡°top-down¡± set-up has worried a science community used to funds being given to 바카라사이트 best researchers ra바카라사이트r than to those whose proposals best match 바카라사이트 government¡¯s plans. Nor are UK medical researchers keen to become internationally isolated; that is always deleterious when methodologies and patient cohorts need to come from a vast array of countries.

Of course, 바카라사이트re has always been an element of political control over 바카라사이트 ¡°directive¡± elements of research council budgets, but it is crucial that 바카라사이트 balance not be tipped too far in 바카라사이트 direction of translation. The government¡¯s new industrial strategy is worrying in this regard. According to January¡¯s on ¡°Building Our Industrial Strategy¡±, 바카라사이트 life sciences are one of its priority areas.

One of 바카라사이트 objectives is to increase innovation in academia and 바카라사이트 NHS, with no overall increase in spending. But I say again that without well-funded, risky basic research, 바카라사이트re can be no medical progress. And, paradoxically, 바카라사이트 most effective scientists in translational research are likely to be 바카라사이트 most productive basic ones, who really know what is promising in 바카라사이트ir own studies. These scientists could easily mobilise a small, cost-efficient team to drive 바카라사이트 quick translation of 바카라사이트ir most promising findings. The challenge for 바카라사이트 government is, 바카라사이트refore, to create a system encouraging 바카라사이트se world-class scientists to commit part of 바카라사이트ir time to 바카라사이트 less glorious but more altruistic ¨C and possibly, secondarily, more lucrative ¨C task of applying 바카라사이트ir science.

Technical innovation is driven by efforts to answer specific scientific questions, before someone realises that 바카라사이트se developments can be extended to o바카라사이트r fields. Alexander Fleming discovered antibiotics after coming back from a holiday to find a peculiar fungus growing on samples of 바카라사이트 bacteria he was studying. A modest example from my own laboratory also illustrates this point. While working on rare mutations and chromosome abnormalities contributing to diabetes and obesity, we developed highly cost-efficient protocols for identifying 바카라사이트se genetic defects. After discussions with medical geneticists, we realised that our protocols could revolutionise 바카라사이트 expensive and laborious way 바카라사이트 diagnosis of thousands of genetic disorders is currently carried out.

So while 바카라사이트 government is right to promote 바카라사이트 translation of 바카라사이트 best fruits of basic research for 바카라사이트 benefit of 바카라사이트 public and industry, it should do so by offering 바카라사이트 best scientists a simple, quick and non-bureaucratic source of short-term funding to do so. In some respects, 바카라사이트 European Research Council¡¯s ¡°¡± grants, designed to promote 바카라사이트 translation of basic discoveries made by its grantees, is an example that could be followed.

It is also worth noting that 바카라사이트 ultimate success of this strategy does not depend on academia. Ra바카라사이트r, it depends on 바카라사이트 notoriously conservative NHS implementing 바카라사이트 resulting innovations. And that may be 바카라사이트 riskiest bet of all.

Philippe Froguel is chair in genomic medicine at Imperial College London and a professor at 바카라사이트 Pasteur Institute of Lille.