Prof Alicia El Haj
Director, Institute for Science &
Technology in Medicine,
Keele University

A campus-based university located in the West Midlands of England, offering dual-honours degrees and research in science, social science and humanities.
Founded as a University College in 1949, it received its Royal Charter in 1962.

A multidisciplinary Institute formed in 2006 to underpin the new
Medical School established between Keele and Manchester Universities
Keele Medical School
ISTM brings together dispersed clinical and laboratory-based researchers from different departments and cultures.
School of Life Sciences
University Hospital of
North Staffordshire
(PFI development)
Guy Hilton Research Centre RJ&AH Orthopaedic Hospital

ISTM brings together clinicians and bio-scientists across four hospital sites and the Keele campus:
• University Hospital of North
Staffordshire, Hartshill, Stoke-on-
Trent
• The Haywood Hospital, Burslem,
Stoke-on-Trent
• Robert Jones & Agnes Hunt
Orthopaedic Hospital, Oswestry
• Leighton Hospital, Crewe
• School of Medicine
• School of Pharmacy
• School of Health &
Rehabilitation
• School of Life Sciences
• School of Computing &
Mathematics
• School of Chemistry & Physics
ISTM Away
Day 2014

“bench to bedside”
Industrial
Partnership
Potential
Clinical application
Clinical Trial
Industrial
Partnership
Basic science
Cell biology/ Physics/
Biological Chemistry
Bioengineering/
Imaging/
In vitro/ In vivo modelling

• 91 full members:
– Professors: 27
– Readers, Senior Lecturers, Clinical Lecturers: 40
– Lecturers: 18
– Research Fellows: 6
• 50+ NHS clinicians run clinical trials through ISTM
• 27 affiliated members from other Keele RI’s
• Key chair appointments of senior clinical/non clinical academics to expand capacity
• ~20 career-young researchers in the Schools of
Medicine, Pharmacy and SHAR

Director
Prof Alicia El Haj
Clinical Co-Director
Prof Simon Davies
Associate Directors
Dr Nicholas Forsyth (GHRC)
Prof Anand Pandyan (Keele campus)
Prof James Richardson (RJ&AH)
Director of Postgraduate Studies
Dr Paul Horrocks

Resulting from 2013/14 reviews
• Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine
• Biomagnetics and Nanomedicine
• Cell & Molecular Medicine
• Diagnostics, Engineering and Proteomics
• Health Services Research Unit
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation
• Sustainable Pharmacy http://www.keele.ac.uk/istm/researchareas/

Theme leader: Dr Nick Forsyth
Basic research into cell physiology and pathology, to developing new therapies in the laboratory, translating to treatments in the clinic and then assessing their efficacy by running clinical trials.
• European Centre of Excellence in Tissue Engineering.
• ARUK Centre of Excellence (+ Newcastle, Aberdeen, York)
• EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre in Regenerative Medicine (+
Loughborough and Nottingham)
• Part of 2 UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (UKRMP) hubs

Theme leader: Dr Neil Telling
New nanomaterials, surface design and nanoparticle formulations, both magnetic and polymer based, coupled to a benchmarking approach in the development of nanomagnetic technology for drug, gene and cell targeting.
• Peer reviewed grant support from EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC,
RCUK, NIH (USA), Royal Society and European FP7
• European and US networks

Theme leader: Prof Gwyn Williams
Includes genetics and epigenetics, structural biology, cell biology, including apoptosis and the control of cell growth and a wide range of analytical techniques such as proteomics and electromagnetic imaging.
• Dedicated Human Genomics facility

Theme leader: Dr Josep Sulé-Suso
Expertise in structural biology, proteomics and synchrotron radiation with a key aim of establishing biomarkers for clinical applications.
• Selected Ion Flow Tube Mass Spectrometry (SIFT-MS)
• Microwave Imaging
• Structural Biology, leads UK Midlands consortium
• Proteomics facility

Theme leader: Prof Simon Davies
A joint initiative between Keele's Research
Institutes for Science & Technology in
Medicine, Primary Care Sciences and a range of NHS partners in North Staffordshire.
To identify and promote beacon pathways of care as exemplars for integrating programmes of education, training, evaluation and applied health research with service development and high quality care.

Theme leader: Prof Divya Chari
Specialises in several related basic, translational and clinical areas.
• Stem cell therapy and implantable materials for neurological disease and injury
• Mechanisms of brain development including plasticity mechanisms
• Application of nanotechnology and nanoscale devices for neural repair
• Development of reductionist models of neurological injury
• Genetic studies and clinical trials in Multiple Sclerosis & stroke.

Theme leader: Dr Ed Chadwick
Uses science and engineering principles to tackle the physical limitations brought on by neuromuscular and skeletal disease, injury and ageing:
• Investigating biomechanical and physiological causes
• Developing Assistive devices to restore function
• Mathematical and conceptual models for biomedical and rehabilitation engineering research

Theme leader: Dr David Morgan
Addresses sustainable healthcare and pharmacy issues identified by “Improving the use of Medicines
(for better outcomes and reduced waste)”. These priorities include:
• Involvement of patients in decisions about their treatment to help them use their medicines effectively
• Reduction of the scale and cost of medicines waste
• Optimisation of the supply and use of medicines, including optimisation in the synthesis and production of medicines.
• Reduction in the harm associated with medication use.
• Enhanced use of the Pharmacist in the community and in the developing healthcare setting.

• Manages ~185 live research grants and trials
• Receives £5m / year income, incl £3.8m in grants
• Applies for ~150 new research grants / year
• Outputs ~280 peer-reviewed publications / year
• RAE2008: 90% of staff rated of international quality in UoA 25 General Engineering
• REF2014: UoA 15 General Engineering
UoA 3 Allied Health Professions
UoA 5 Biological Sciences
Potentially 50-60 academics submitted

1%
6
5
4
8%
8%
0%
5%
0%
0%
23%
23%
29%
3
ISTM Research grant income sources 2012/13
2
1
0
2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
RC
Charity
C Govt
L Auth
P Corp
Industry
Health
EU govt
Overseas
Other
EU other
Financial Year
(Aug-July)
HEFCE QR core funding (RAE2008) All other research grants combined
UK Charity grants UK Research Council grants
Keele QR funding is +1.5% for 2014/15

• Mentoring early-career lecturers and fellows
• Research fellows transition to independence
• ~35 research assistants and technical staff
• Support and activities: eg Keele studentships, start-up funds incl. MRC Centenary Awards,
HEFCE Capital Equipment funds, workshops.

• Examples incl. China, Malaysia, Brazil, India, Saudi
Arabia, Mali and Burkina Faso
• Masters and PhD / MPhil level
• Researcher exchanges
• Funded programmes – eg MRC African Leaders grant,
HYANJI SCAFFOLD, NEMO, MagNETicFUN, Fellowships

• Industrial collaborations, eg:
– Technology Strategy Board collaborative projects
– MRC and BBSRC CASE studentships, primarily with UK companies
– European joint projects involving Small & Medium Sized Enterprises
• Contract research and clinical trials with UK / European industry, eg:
– 3M Healthcare Abbott Laboratories AstraZeneca Biogen Bose
Bristol Myers Squibb Cellon SA ConMed Cordis Endovascular
GlaxoSmithKline GW Pharma Merck Sharp & Dohme Novartis
Oxitec PepTcell Pfizer Smith & Nephew Surgicraft Syngenta
Teva Weleda AG Wella AG Wyeth Research XenoGesis Zimmer
• Licensing of Intellectual Property
• Examples of current spin-off companies from ISTM:
– NanoTherics
( www.nanotherics.com
)
Mica Biosystems
( http://micabiosystems.com/ )

Director: Prof Alicia El Haj
+44 (0)1782 674085 a.j.el.haj@keele.ac.uk
RI Manager: Mark Smith
+44 (0)1782 674967 m.e.smith@keele.ac.uk
PA to Director: Joseph Clarke
+44 (0)1782 674998 j.clarke@keele.ac.uk
Facilities & Administration
Manager: Jeanette Forrester
+44 (0)1782 675380 j.forrester@keele.ac.uk