Two more Wellcome Discovery Awards reinforce Leeds as leader in biological research

Some of Leeds’ top biological researchers have received two new Wellcome Discovery Awards, confirming the university’s status as a centre of excellence in biological research.

The new awards will provide £3.4 million to support research into life at the molecular level.

The right people, place and projects

The Faculty of Biological Sciences now holds nine Wellcome-funded awards - four Discovery Awards and five research fellowships and career development awards - representing more than £14 million in investment from the funder and putting Leeds amongst a small number of UK institutions with multiple Wellcome-funded teams.

These latest awards are also a reflection of the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology’s reputation for interdisciplinary research and infrastructure. The newly funded teams will benefit from the advanced cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) capabilities housed in the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory, which were made possible through major investment from the University of Leeds and Wellcome.

About Wellcome Discovery Awards

Wellcome Discovery Awards support ambitious, curiosity-driven research projects that have the potential to unlock new insights in our understanding of life, health and wellbeing.

Funding projects for up to 8 years, they are designed to give established researchers and their teams the freedom and support to pursue transformative ideas.

New projects to target protein misfolding and ribosome recovery

The two new Wellcome projects will support joint research led by Professor Sheena Radford and Professor Neil Ranson, as well as a project by Professor Elton Zeqiraj in collaboration with Professor Liz Miller and Professor Yogesh Kulathu at the University of Dundee.

Professors Radford and Ranson will investigate amyloid fibrils, protein structures found in the brain and other tissues that are linked to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Type 2 diabetes. Their six-year project aims to uncover how these fibrils form and interact with cells, using some of the most advanced imaging and biochemical techniques available.

This award gives us the freedom, and time, to make truly field-shifting discoveries

Professor Sheena Radford

Professor Radford said: “We’ll identify new pathways, develop dyes that can distinguish between fibril types and recreate disease-linked structures in the lab.”

Professor Ranson added, “It is an incredibly exciting project that could deepen our understanding of how these proteins behave and misbehave, and help to inform when, who and how to treat.”

Professor Elton Zeqiraj

Professor Elton Zeqiraj, photo by Tabitha Faulkner

Professor Zeqiraj, who currently holds a Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship, will embark on a seven-and-a-half-year project to explore how cells rescue stalled ribosomes, the molecular machines responsible for making proteins.

Working with partners in Dundee, the team will use Leeds’ world-class cryo-electron microscopy facilities to capture images of ribosomes, providing new insights into how they recover from stress and what happens when these systems fail in disease.

Professor Zeqiraj said, “By bringing advanced imaging and structural biology to the heart of this project, we will visualise the ER-RQC machinery by electron microscopy and explore these quality-control pathways in action.

This builds on our strengths in mechanism and structural biology, and I’m thrilled to continue our close collaboration with colleagues in Dundee as we connect molecular insight to cellular physiology and, ultimately, to new therapeutic opportunities.”

A track record in Wellcome success

These new awards add to the Discovery Awards previously secured in the Faculty of Biological Sciences by Professor Mark Harris and Professor Adrian Whitehouse.
Colleagues who have also received Wellcome Fellowships include Dr Antonio Calabrese (Sir Henry Dale Fellowship), Dr Niluka Goonawardane (Career Development Award) and Dr Tom O’Brien (Early Career Award) from the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Dr Viktor Lukacs (Career Development Award) from the School of Biomedical Sciences.

“This continued investment from Wellcome is hugely significant” said Andrew Macdonald, the Faculty’s Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation. “For researchers, it brings opportunities to build new teams, develop pioneering ideas, and deepen international partnerships.

And for students, it’s equally as important. It means studying alongside world-leading scientists who are really at the top of their fields, with exposure to cutting-edge research and equipment.”

“Securing one Discovery Award is a major accomplishment, but four in total is truly exceptional,” said Professor Darren Tomlinson, Head of the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology.

It’s a testament to the brilliance of our academic community and sends a really clear message; that Leeds is the place to do world-class biological research.

Professor Darren Tomlinson