Research Showcase at The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS

Research from The Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies (R(D)SVS) at the University of Edinburgh was showcased at an event to foster relationships between academia and industry.

Researchers provided presentations on projects at The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS. These included research assessing potential applications of stem cells from livestock and companion animals, generation of appropriate models of disease to refine therapeutic strategies and studies looking at how genetic variation in production animals can be exploited by breeding for improved disease resistance.

Scotland has an enviable record in terms of the quality of its research. Now, more than ever, it is vital that research is partnered with business acumen through industry collaborations. This will help ensure that the high quality translatable research carried out at the Roslin Institute and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Science fulfills its potential to impact on and improve health, both in Scotland and internationally.

Representatives from 50 companies and other organisations such as Pfizer Ltd, Novartis Animal Health, Aviagen Ltd, Scottish Enterprise and Midlothian Council attended the event aimed at promoting collaboration and partnerships.

Dr Tom Shepherd, Chief Executive Officer of CXR, is an existing industrial partner working with The Roslin Institute. He spoke about how the collaboration has been using state of the art transgenic technologies to develop new tools to assess the safety of drugs and chemicals.

The Roslin Institute has an enviable position in the field of animal biotechnology and through its restructuring now has the opportunity to build on this and be a significant player in the animal bioscience sector.

The Roslin Institute joined with the R(D)SVS, within the University's College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine last year. This alliance coincides with more than £100 million of development at the University's Easter Bush Veterinary campus over the next five years. This includes a £60.6 million state of the art research building to accommodate around 500 scientists from The Roslin Institute and the Scottish Agricultural College, with expertise in areas such as genetics, developmental biology, immunology and infectious disease, neuroscience and behaviour and animal sciences.

The building, commissioned by Roslin Developments Ltd and funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, will also provide a focal point for the Easter Bush Research Consortium involving The Roslin Institute, the R(D)SVS, Scottish Agricultural College and the Moredun Research Institute.

The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, which was ranked as the leading vet school in the UK's 2008 Research Assessment Exercise with the highest proportion of world leading research, will also benefit from a new £42 million teaching building sited next to the Hospital for Small Animals.

Research at The Roslin Institute and R(D)SVS aims to enhance the lives of animals and humans through improved health and welfare. In order for us to have the best chance of applying our research outputs to achieve our aims, it is critical that we work closely with industry and this event has been an exciting step forward in that process.