Campus Timeline:Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building
We plan to invest £54.3M in a new state-of-the-art research building on the Gibbet Hill campus that will bring together up to 300 biomedical researchers from across the School of Life Sciences and Warwick Medical School to fight human diseases.
Our work in the Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building (IBRB) will focus on understanding the origins and mechanistic basis of diseases of the body and brain, with the aim of finding new ways to extend healthy life spans. It will build on our existing world-class research in neuroscience, microbiology and infection, cell biology, and disease models, supporting and facilitating interdisciplinary biomedical research of the highest quality.
It will provide the two Schools with a world-class environment in which to train future generations of biomedical researchers. The student experience for undergraduates and postgraduates will be enriched through the provision of a new 400-seat lecture theatre and many new social and collaboration spaces.
The Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building is part of the hybrid planning application submitted to the local authority for permission to build.
Professor Lorenzo Frigerio, Head of the School of Life Sciences said:
“This is a tremendous opportunity for SLS and WMS to deliver world-class biomedical science in an environment that will act as a catalyst for novel research and collaboration.”
Professor Sudhesh Kumar, Dean of the Warwick Medical School added:
“We are very excited about the development of the new IBRB building on the Gibbet Hill site. It forms an integral element of the Medical School’s ambitions over the coming years. The inclusion of a brand new lecture theatre will enhance student experience and enable growth of new undergraduate programmes. The excellent research facilities within the building will foster inter-disciplinary collaboration and enable biomedical research at the highest level.”
Case studies of research in the IBRB
If you're interested in who's moving into the IBRB and what they'll work on, see our case studies:
Neurophysiology
The Dale Group
Led by Professor Nicholas Dale, this group are looking at how the cells that make up our brains communicate with one another. They will investigate the chemistry of neurons as they control breathing, body weight, food intake and sleep. Alongside this, the group are also working on a range of new technologies to help aid diagnosis of conditions in the nervous system.
Embryo development
The Smutny Group
Led by Dr Michael Smutny, this group uses an interdisciplinary approach to understand how molecular, cellular and biophysical processes shape the embryo. Understanding these mechanisms is essential to our knowledge of normal development and associated diseases.
New antibiotics
The Dowson Group
Led by Professor Chris G Dowson, this group brings together researchers from a range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, engineering and physics to pursue the discovery of new antibiotics. This truly international partnership involves academics from the UK, USA, China and beyond, and is funded by BBSRC, MRC, Wellcome Trust and industry.
Bacterial infections
The Unnikrishnan Group
Led by Dr Meera Unnikrishnan, this group aims to understand how bacteria invade and survive within the human host. They expect to identify novel bacterial mechanisms that may lead to new therapeutic strategies to tackle antibiotic resistant pathogens.
Embryo development
The Nelson Group
Led by Dr Andrew Nelson, this group aim to unravel the complexities of how cells reach their final form in a developing embryo. The team can then gain a greater insight into how mutations in cells lead to developmental defects. This new understanding of the molecular basis of developmental disorders will offer up avenues of exploration for new therapies.
Exploiting insect pathogens
The Waterfield Group
Led by Dr Nick R. Waterfield, this group investigates the molecular adaptations that have resulted bacteria in insects becoming the cause of infectious diseases in humans. The team can then exploit this understanding to develop new ways of delivering drugs.
Antibiotic resistance
The Roper Group
Led by Professor David I Roper, this group are working on one of the great challenges of our age: resistance to antibiotics. By looking at the molecular basis of microbial physiology, this interdisciplinary team aim to provide new insights to those developing new antibiotics.
Developmental signalling
The Sampath Group
Led by Professor Karuna Sampath, this group investigates the mechanisms that control communication between cells during tissue and organ formation in embryos. Their work will provide insights into how defects in cell-to-cell communication can lead to diseases.
Synthetic cell biology
The Balasubramanian Group
Led by Professor Mohan Balasubramanian, this group aims to understand mechanisms by which cells divide from one to two. They aim to synthetically rewire and assemble functional cell division machineries using native and non-native parts.