A state-of-the-art centre has been opened that could help clinicians advance personalised medicine by understanding complex biological systems. The new Multi-Omics Research Laboratory at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust could also support the development of new diagnostic tests.
Based at University Hospital, Coventry, and hosted by the Research and Development Institute of Precision Diagnostics and Translational Medicine, a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) infrastructure grant of more than £1million helped to fund the facility. This was awarded to Professor Dimitris Grammatopoulos, a Professor of Molecular Medicine and Consultant Clinical Scientist at UHCW.
Researchers will be able to gain a greater understanding of conditions such as diabetes, pre-eclampsia or cancer and, from this, work towards identifying new treatments.
Lead Scientist Emma Braybrook said: “This is a fantastic new facility and emphasises that research is a leading priority for the Trust. It will allow researchers from across the UK access to some of the most advanced technology in the field and the information that we generate for them could help generate significant findings.”
Multi-omics research combines data from different ‘omics’ fields, such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics, to gain a more comprehensive understanding of biological systems. By integrating this diverse data, researchers can identify complex relationships and pathways that wouldn't be apparent from studying individual omics data alone.
About 75 guests from around the country attended a launch event sponsored by Olink Proteomics and Bruker Spatial Biology and were welcomed to the Trust by Chief Executive Officer, Professor Andy Hardy. They were able to hear from experts in the field on how they have used the technologies within their research and how these latest advancements can shape the future of healthcare.
The facility is working in collaboration with the Trust’s Arden Tissue Bank (ATB) which provides access to a diverse range of high-quality human tissue, whilst complying with legislation and regulation, for ethically approved projects.
Recent expansion means that samples and data can now be provided from patients supported by UHCW NHS Trust, in addition to George Elliot NHS Trust and South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
“This relationship means that researchers can not only access the technology within the facility, but also ethical approval and samples in one seamless process,” added Emma. “This is a unique offering and one that we hope will really support researchers."