News from December 2017

Research funding for safe genes

Posted: 20 December, 2017

CRISPR/Cas9 complex interacting with DNA

Scientists at The Pirbright Institute will receive a subaward of $2.66million as part of a research team led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in DARPA's Safe Genes programme. This programme aims to gain a fundamental understanding of how gene editing technologies function, address potential health and security concerns relating to accidental or intentional misuse of the technology and work out how they can be used safely, responsibly and predictably for global benefit.

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Protein shown vital for foot-and-mouth disease virus replication

Posted: 12 December, 2017

Foot-and-mouth disease virus capsid structure

Researchers at The Pirbright Institute have shown that when drugs are used to inhibit the cellular protein, hsp90, foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) production is reduced. Hsp90 is a protein used by cells to fold other proteins correctly and it was shown to be required by FMDV to form the outer shell of the virus which protects the viral genome. This provides new insights into how FMDV replicates during infection, and also demonstrates the potential for hsp90 as a target for future FMD antiviral treatments.

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Pirbright wins award for openness on animal research project

Posted: 5 December, 2017

Pirbright team with UAR public engagement award

On Monday 4 December, The Pirbright Institute jointly won the Public Engagement category at the fourth annual Understanding Animal Research (UAR) Openness Awards for its contribution to the 360° Laboratory Animal Tours project. The Openness Awards mark the efforts of UK research facilities to be transparent about their use of animals in research, and recognise the innovative ways they are communicating with the public.