NIHR | Manchester Biomedical Research Centre

Manchester BRC has a strong presence at Precision Medicine event

At the beginning of April colleagues from the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) presented and exhibited at the business of precision medicine – visioning the future event in Leeds, jointly organised by the Northern Health Sciences Alliance (NHSA) and BioNow.

The event aimed to showcase the potential commercial impact of precision medicine and the strengths in this area across the North of England.

Professor Ian Bruce (BRC Director) and Professor Chris Griffiths (Theme Lead, Dermatology) outlined their respective research programmes into the stratification of inflammatory disease, specifically lupus and psoriasis. Professor Gareth Evans (Theme Lead, Cancer Prevention and Early Detection) described risk stratification in breast cancer to an engaged and interested audience. Professor Katherine Payne, part of the Biomarker Platforms cross-cutting theme, concluded the presentations with an insight into the challenges of implementing precision medicine and how examining health economics might inform this implementation.

Meanwhile, colleagues from the Biomarker Platforms manned an exhibition stand, which presented for the first time a cohesive and integrated precision medicine offering across Greater Manchester to industry collaborators. Katherine Boylan, Julie Brazzatti and Samaneh Maysami represented the research infrastructure and opportunities available to industry across the BRC partners. The conference was also an opportunity to launch the Biomarker Platforms introduction video, featuring cross-cutting theme lead Professor Tony Whetton.

It was great to see so many Manchester colleagues at the event. It demonstrates to our NHSA colleagues and industry, the strength and depth of precision medicine in the BRC and the co-ordinated collaborative ethos we are building.

Professor Ian Bruce