UCL launches new academic partnership programme in global cities.8 November 2018 UCL is today launching anew Cities partnerships Programme(CpP)to invest in and extend research and teaching collaborations in multiple city locations around the world–with Rome and Paris named as the first two cities.The programme’s distinctive focus on acity rather than aspecific partner means that UCL academics from across the university are able to work with the partners they feel are the best in... 查看详细>>

Researchers at UCL will play aleading role in anew world class hub for cancer biotherapeutics,which has been launched by Cancer Research UK.The Cancer Research UK City of London Centre brings together world leading researchers from UCL,King’s College London,Queen Mary University of London and the Francis Crick Institute.Cancer Research UK‘s significant£14 million investment in the Centre will enable London to become aglobal centre of excellence for biotherapeutics,a pioneering field of cancer research.Cancer patients over large parts of the capital,including some of the most deprived areas of the city,will have the opportunity to take part in pioneering research as part of their treatment.Around 14 million people,in London and other areas of the country,are covered by the NHS trusts within UCL Partners and Kings Health Partners,and will be set to have access to the very latest innovations in biological cancer therapies.Director of UCL Cancer Institute,Professor Tariq Enver,will lead the new Cancer Research UK City of London Centre.“There have already been huge advances in biotherapeutics,many led from our researchers at UCL,and there’s enormous potential to transform how we approach the hardest to treat cancers like brain tumours and lung cancer,”he said.“Our ambition is for the Centre to stimulate further economic activity in biotechnology in London as new companies are formed,and industry partners move in to translate the most promising discoveries into marketable therapies.“London’s hospitals will also become flagship centres for treating patients with these new biological therapies,setting the standard for healthcare providers all over the world.”Dr Iain Foulkes,Cancer Research UK’s executive director of research and innovation,said:“Our investment represents amajor vote of confidence in London’s place at the heart of global biomedical research and is predicted to bring enormous benefit to the city’s residents,businesses and hospitals. 查看详细>>

NHS England’s announcement that children and young people with leukaemia will receive a‘revolutionary’treatment has been welcomed by the UCL Cancer Institute,which has helped develop the therapy.B cell leukemia As part of acommercial deal between NHS England and manufacturer Novartis,young patients with aform of leukaemia,called B-cell acute leukaemia,are set to receive CAR T(a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell)therapy within weeks.This move comes less than 10 days after the treatment was granted its European marketing authorisation,which represents one of the fastest funding approvals in the 70 year history of the NHS.The Tisagenlecleucel form of CAR T,also known as Kymriah,is the first in awave of treatments in anew era of cellular therapies.Unlike conventional cancer treatments,CAR T-cell therapy is specifically manufactured for each individual patient and involves reprogramming the patient’s own immune system cells,which are then used to target their cancer.It has been shown in trials to cure some patients,even those with advanced cancers where other treatments have failed.UCL has agrowing CAR T-cell programme based at the UCL Cancer Institute,which includes expertise,ranging from protein and T-cell engineering through to clinical grade cell manufacture.There are currently nine phase Iclinical studies of experimental CAR T-cell approaches open at UCL affiliated hospitals(UCLH and Great Ormond Street Hospital)which stem directly from this programme.Some of these studies are testing next generation CAR T-cells for B-cell acute leukaemia.Following the NHS announcement,Dr Claire Roddie(UCL Cancer Institute),who is responsible for the care of patients on UCL‘s CAR Tclinical trials,said:"Having seen first hand how CAR T-cells can profoundly benefit the lives of our patients with an otherwise incurable disease,I am delighted to see Kymriah available on the NHS so quickly."I believe this is the first of many new revolutionary CAR T-cell therapies to be made widely available.I look forward to seeing many more come through including some we are developing at UCL."Tisagenlecleucel,which costs around£282,000 per patient at its full list price,is licenced to treat patients up to 25 years old with Bcell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia(ALL)that is refractory,in relapse post-transplant or in second or later relapse.Patients in trials had an average age of 11.The process of producing such atreatment is immensely complex and preparations are in their final stages.The first three NHS hospitals to go through the international accreditation process for the provision of CAR T-cell therapy for children are in London,Manchester and Newcastle.Subject to passing accreditation requirements the first treatments could begin in amatter of weeks. 查看详细>>

The Arts and Humanities Research Council has awarded funding for doctoral training studentships to the London Arts and Humanities Partnership(LAHP),led by UCL.The partnership includes seven other higher education institutions:King’s College London,London School of Economics and Political Science,Queen Mary University of London,the Royal College of Art,The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama,University of London,the Royal College of Music,the School of Advanced Study(University of London).Together,they will fund and train postgraduate students over five annual cohorts from October 2019.The partnership will also deliver atraining environment open to over 2,300 postgraduate research students from across the partnership.The LAHP’s key values and strategy have been developed in extensive consultation with six cultural partners.Collaboration with the Museum of London,the Metropolitan Police,and The National Archives will offer students the opportunity to engage with diverse London communities,while the V&A,Google,and the Wellcome Trust will bring expertise to the design,digital and environmental strand of the LAHP training programme.The partnership aims to deliver broad cross-disciplinary experience and training to students.LAHP students will be uniquely equipped to apply their knowledge,across arange of environments from the cultural and creative industries,to public service,civic engagement and government,to legal,business and commercial enterprise.Through working closely with its cultural partners and drawing inspiration from the vibrant capital city of London,students will be supported to become civically-minded,globally-aware,socially-engaged,impactful and ethically-informed scholars.LAHP’s vision recognises the changing culture of PhD education,and ultimately aims to transform employers’perceptions of what aPhD can deliver.The doctoral training partnership will therefore support students to become experts in their chosen fields,while also developing awide range of employability skills,suited to an increasingly digital and globalised world.Professor Stella Bruzzi,the Dean of UCL Arts&Humanities,comments:‘We are delighted that our bid to the AHRC‘s Doctoral Training Partnerships Two has been successful.The AHRC‘s ongoing commitment to postgraduate funding will ensure that we can continue to offer aunique central London doctoral research environment and unrivalled training opportunities for our doctoral students.Through its collective strengths,the London Arts and Humanities Partnership will promote disciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiry and nurture future generations of academic researchers,cultural leaders and creative industry pioneers.’Professor Edward Harcourt,the AHRC’s Director of Research,Strategy and Innovation said:‘The AHRC is delighted to announce its renewed commitment to the Doctoral Training Partnerships model.Our support for the next generation of arts and humanities researchers is critical to securing the future of the UK arts and humanities sector,which accounts for nearly athird of all UK academic staff,is renowned the world over for its outstanding quality,and which plays avital part in our higher education ecosystem as awhole.We were extremely pleased with the response to our call,which saw high-quality applications from across the UK from avariety of diverse and innovative consortia,each with aclear strategy and vision for the future support of their doctoral students.’Professor Richard Wistreich,Director of Research at the Royal College of Music,said:‘The new London Arts and Humanities Partnership is apowerful collective of many of the top arts and humanities institutions and cultural organisations in the world’s leading city for the creative industries.The combined expertise of these partners offers research students unparalleled opportunities to be innovative within both academic and non-academic environments,to collaborate easily across disciplines,and to develop the range of skills they will need to become leaders in the future creative economy’.Sharon Ament,Director of the Museum of London,said:‘This partnership comes at an exciting time for us as we develop what will be an extraordinary New Museum of London in West Smithfield.Through the partnership there will be agreat number of opportunities for LAHP students to be actively involved in the delivery of the museum‘s public and research programme.‘ 查看详细>>