Construction has begun on the new £17.5 million building on the Western General Hospital site. It will enable scientists at the University of Edinburgh's Institute of Genetics and Cancer to study genetic conditions and cancers in greater depth and detail than ever before. The new 4D Cellular Medicine Building, a joint investment by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the University of Edinburgh, will house state-of-the-art facilities that will allow researchers to study human disease in amazing detail. The Institute of Genetics and Cancer is a strategic partnership between the MRC Human Genetics Unit (HGU), Edinburgh Cancer Research and the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, which together form a coalition of distinctive world-class expertise in genetics and cancer. [scald=132669:sdl_editor_representation {"alt":"Institute of genetics and cancer","caption":""}] Research at the MRC Human Genetics Unit is driving this exciting development Established more than 60 years ago, the HGU's mission is to improve understanding of how the genome works and how changes in DNA affect human health and the development of disease, and to use this knowledge to improve health care. Together with scientists and clinicians from Edinburgh Cancer Research, the Unit works to combat cancer, particularly melanoma, colorectal, breast, ovarian, uterine and brain cancers. Recently, new research programmes have been initiated at Edinburgh Cancer Research to study sarcoma, kidney cancer and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma - cancer that occurs in parts of the bile ducts in the liver. The new building will provide new opportunities to study human diseases in extraordinary depth and to conduct cutting-edge research in the field of 4D cellular medicine. Current research often looks at genes, cellular processes, or cells in isolation, or takes a snapshot at a single point in time. Cellular 4D medicine is a revolutionary approach to integrate this with an understanding of the structure and function of cells in their natural tissue environment. Novel experimental and analytical approaches will enable the integration of molecular, genetic, biochemical, and environmental information about the cell in the context of space (3-dimensional tissues or tumours) and over time (4-dimensionial ). This will not only help to unravel the complex interaction of molecular signalling pathways disrupted in disease, but also pave the way for new drugs and therapies. The new building will house dedicated facilities that will allow the function of individual cells to be studied in extraordinary detail and generate complex data that will be analysed using artificial intelligence. It will also include upgraded laboratories and other facilities, including an improved bicycle store. The project was designed by Oberlanders Architects LLP and awarded to Robertson Construction Central East. Completion is scheduled for 2023. This new building and its state-of-the-art facilities are critical to our goal of understanding how molecules, cells and tissues work as dynamic biological machines, to improve health and treat disease. Professor Wendy Bickmore, Director, MRC Human Genetics Unit Related Links MRC Human Genetics Unit Edinburgh Cancer Research Institute of Genetics and Cancer Professor Wendy Bickmore profile This article was published on 2022-11-03
