King’s College London Confidence in Concept 2017

Lead Research Organisation: King's College London
Department Name: UNLISTED

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.

Technical Summary

The Confidence in Concept scheme is a key part of MRC’s translational research strategy and provides annual awards to institutions, to be used flexibly to support the earliest stages of multiple translational research projects. The award can be used by the institution to support a number of preliminary-stage translational projects. The projects supported should aim to provide sufficient preliminary data to establish the viability of an approach –– before seeking more substantive funding. It is intended to accelerate the transition from discovery research to translational development projects by supporting preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of an approach.

Publications

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Akter A (2023) Radiometal chelators for infection diagnostics. in Frontiers in nuclear medicine (Lausanne, Switzerland)

 
Description 68Ga-siderophores PET/CT imaging in combination with current diagnostic tools to improve early diagnosis of invasive fungal infections (IFIs)
Amount $69,900 (USD)
Funding ID 69506707 
Organisation Pfizer Global R & D 
Sector Private
Country United States
Start 02/2022 
End 01/2023
 
Description CANnabidiol for Parkinson's Disease Psychosis (CAN-PDP).
Amount £1,209,674 (GBP)
Organisation Parkinson's UK 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2019 
End 12/2024
 
Description Can AI guided by in-crystal fragment screening crack the protein-protein interaction inhibitors problem?
Amount £9,100 (GBP)
Funding ID E21-2755995269 
Organisation Royal Society of Chemistry 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2022 
End 02/2023
 
Description Cannabidiol for behaviour symptoms in Alzheimer's disease
Amount £9,400 (GBP)
Organisation King's College London 
Department Psychiatry Research Trust
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2020 
End 12/2022
 
Description Cannabidiol for psychosis in Alzheimer's dementia
Amount £14,850 (GBP)
Funding ID M893 
Organisation Rosetrees Trust 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2021 
End 05/2022
 
Description Chemistry and medicinal chemistry of tris(hydroxypyridinone) (THP) and derivatives thereof
Amount £50,000 (GBP)
Organisation Theragnostics Limited 
Sector Private
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2018 
End 05/2019
 
Description Clinical and pharmaco-genetic predictors of weight gain on ART in people of African ancestry living with HIV
Amount £426,279 (GBP)
Funding ID CO-UK-985-6622 
Organisation Gilead Sciences, Inc. 
Sector Private
Country United States
Start 01/2023 
End 07/2024
 
Description Continuous arterial oxygen monitoring to personalise ventilatory strategies
Amount £33,412 (GBP)
Organisation Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland (AAGBI) 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2020 
End 08/2020
 
Description Development on novel PET probes for cancer and infection imaging
Amount £20,000 (GBP)
Funding ID RGS\R1\221250 
Organisation The Royal Society 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2022 
End 03/2023
 
Description Fine-tuning islet NAD levels to prevent beta-cell de-differentiation in Type 2 diabetes
Amount £269,638 (GBP)
Funding ID 18/0005865 
Organisation Diabetes UK 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 02/2019 
End 01/2022
 
Description Functional Genomic Analysis And Characterisation Of Pheochromocytomas And Paragangliomas
Amount £50,000 (GBP)
Funding ID 556520 
Organisation Bernice Bibby Research Trust 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2023 
End 12/2026
 
Description Gen-AFRICA: COVID-19 (COVID-19 IN PEOPLE OF AFRICAN ANCESTRY WITH HIV)
Amount £169,445 (GBP)
Funding ID IN-UK-983-6053 
Organisation Gilead Sciences, Inc. 
Sector Private
Country United States
Start 03/2021 
End 02/2022
 
Description Impact of cold exposure in conjunction with dietary modification on metabolic regulation in children with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Amount £48,283 (GBP)
Organisation GUTS UK 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2020 
End 09/2021
 
Description Improving beta cell function by mesenchymal stromal cells: novel mechanisms and cell-free translational potential
Amount £347,087 (GBP)
Funding ID MR/W002876/1 
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2021 
End 09/2023
 
Description Individualised Risk prediction of adverse neonatal outcome in pregnancies that deliver preterm using advanced MRI techniques and machine learning
Amount £1,322,215 (GBP)
Organisation National Institute for Health Research 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2021 
End 10/2025
 
Description Inhibiting NAMPT to improve beta-cell survival and function in type 1 diabetes
Amount £83,266 (GBP)
Organisation European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country Germany
Start 03/2021 
End 02/2022
 
Description Multiple Long Term Conditions Challenge Fund
Amount £1,046,000 (GBP)
Organisation Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2020 
End 01/2022
 
Description NIHR i4i
Amount £482,933 (GBP)
Organisation National Institute for Health Research 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2020 
End 08/2023
 
Description Novel radiopharmaceuticals for selective and efficient tumour cell killing.
Amount £100,000 (GBP)
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2018 
End 09/2022
 
Description Realising the potential of 7T MRI as a clinical tool for paediatric neuroimaging
Amount £224,981 (GBP)
Organisation Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (GOSHCC) 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 05/2019 
End 07/2022
 
Title PanDDA analysis group deposition Form1 MAP kinase p38-alpha 
Description X-ray structures of MAP kinase p38-alpha in complex with fragments 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The experimental model are used to train AI algorithm to develop small molecules to interfere with the biological activity of the kinase 
URL https://www.rcsb.org/structure/5R9Q
 
Title PanDDA analysis group deposition INTERLEUKIN-1 BETA 
Description X-ray structures of ligands in complex with IL1b 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2020 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact The experimental structures are used to train AI algorithm to develop small molecules able to interfere with the biological activity of the cytokine 
URL https://www.rcsb.org/structure/5R86
 
Description Cyclica Academic Partnership Program (CAPP) Collaboration Agreement 
Organisation Cyclica
Country Canada 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We have provided the experimental models used by Cyclica algorithm
Collaborator Contribution Our laboratory has specified Interleukin-1ß (IL1B) and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase p38a (MK14) as separate targets of interest ("Targets"). In a feasibility assessment, Cyclica applied scientists have assessed available structural models, built appropriate models as needed, and designated appropriate binding sites. Using this preliminary work, Cyclica applied scientists have conducted a proteome screening through Ligand Design on the Targets. Cyclica scientists have evaluated putative binders identified by Ligand Design and selected the 120 compounds with desirable polypharmacological, pharmacokinetic, and physicochemical properties.
Impact The experimental validation of the in-silico analysis is still ongoing
Start Year 2021
 
Description Intermittent cold exposure delivered via a cooling garment 
Organisation Paxman Coolers Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We designed a research project to study the impact of intermittent cold exposure delivered via a cooling garment on brown adipose tissue function and metabolic phenotypes in children and young people.
Collaborator Contribution The partner designed a cooling jacket that will use cooling technology designed by the company Paxman Coolers Ltd
Impact The cooling jacket has been designed and will be used for research from April 2021. All participants for Stage 1 of the study have been recruited. The data are being analysed and will be submitted for publication over the next 6 months. In parallel children with NAFLD are being recruited for Stage 2 of the study.
Start Year 2019
 
Description Ose Immunotherapeutics 
Organisation OSE Immunotherapeutics SA
Country France 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution NA
Collaborator Contribution Access to IL-7Ra blocking antibody (OSE-127
Impact NA
Start Year 2018
 
Description Oxford Optronix 
Organisation Oxford Optronix Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Use of Oxylite data acquisition system
Collaborator Contribution Partnership on follow on grants
Impact Partnership on follow on grants
Start Year 2018
 
Description Siemens Healthineers collaboration to develop novel imaging strategies for hepatic steatosis and adipose tissue phenotypes in children and young people. 
Organisation Siemens Healthcare
Country Germany 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We generated pilot data to support the study proposal that cold exposure will induce brown adipose tissue, and this will result in improved metabolic parameters in obese children and young people with hepatic steatosi.
Collaborator Contribution Design of MRI protocols to phenotype liver and adipose tissue phenotypes.
Impact Stage 1 of the study is now completed, i.e. to evaluate the impact of wearing a cooling jacket on brown adipose tissue function in young adults. This will be written up as a manuscript over the next 6 months. In parallel studies of children with NAFLD will commence as soon as an extension to our Siemens license has been approved.
Start Year 2020
 
Description Tuberculosis Biomarker 
Organisation London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
Department TB Centre
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution This funding has allowed to set up extracellular vesicle isolation from small plasma samples (down to 250 microliter) at KCL. This project is still undergoing and we hope to generate meaningful data for TB pathophysiology in 2020. It has also allowed me to set up a new method at KCL that has undertaken a great deal of technical and admin work (ethics, biological safety, etc). At the moment we are hoping to establish the 'confidence in concept' early in 2020. Bringing samples from Africa has proven very challenging and we have set up all the technical work using healthy samples employing our 5th Floor Tower Wing ethics and has enabled a new collaboration with the University of Southampton as well as St Thomas' (Prof Paul Elkington and Dr Marc Tebruegge). This project has led me to collaborate and co-supervise a PhD student with Dr Bahijja Raimi-Abraham (KCL) across campus as we share interests in TB research. In addition, we plan on applying for future grants/projects together.
Collaborator Contribution They have collected 50 clinical samples as well as clinical data form patients with TB. We will leverage on the infrastucture that TREATS has set up in subsaharian Africa. These are 150 serum samples - 100 in kind contribution from TREATS. TREATS was funded by a 12.5M EUR grant; the samples that they will provide to this project is a small subset from their well-characterised cohort, thus, the in-kind contribution is only a figure but I cannot really estimate.
Impact Grant 'Identifying a novel tuberculosis diagnostic biomarker using human blood extracellular vesicles' from the MRC Confidence in Concept Scheme. The multidisciplinary nature of the award combines clinical (sample/data collection), molecular (extracellular vesicle extraction and characterisation) and bioinformatics (processing and integration of the sequencing data with clinical outcomes)
Start Year 2018
 
Title Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) Treg constructs 
Description Insertion of STAT5 signalling motifs into the CAR constructs delivers pro-survival signals that enhance the viability and suppressive function of Tregs recognizing an antigen through the CAR. 
IP Reference PCT/GB2019/052422 
Protection Patent application published
Year Protection Granted
Licensed Yes
Impact Spin Out and follow on funding: Quell Therapeutics (https://quell-tx.com/) with a £34M investment from Syncona Ltd
 
Company Name Apini Therapeutics 
Description Apini Therapeutics develops small molecule compounds which aim to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. 
Year Established 2021 
Impact N/A
 
Company Name AviadoBio 
Description AviadoBio develops gene therapy treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. 
Year Established 2019 
Impact Have raised £3m from charitable sources and made great progress in generating unencumbered intellectual property.
Website https://aviadobio.com/
 
Company Name Quell Therapeutics 
Description Quell Therapeutics develops Treg cell therapies for the treatment of a range of different conditions, such as solid organ transplant rejection. 
Year Established 2019 
Impact Quell has secured £34M Series A financing from Syncona.
Website https://quell-tx.com/
 
Description Focus groups with children and young people to establish their views on cold exposure to improve cardiometabolic health 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact Focus groups with children and young people to establish their views on the use of a cooling garment to deliver intermittent cold exposure with the aim of inducing brown adipose tissue to improve cardiometabolic health. This activity is for children/young people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (aged 8 and older) and health controls of the same age. We are keen to modify the study protocols according to the views of these groups. The views of the parents of children aged 8+ will also be obtained.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Invited speaker at RCPsych Faculty of Old Age Psychiatry Annual Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The presentation titled 'Cannabinoid medications for neurodegenerative disorders' sparked interest and discussion amongst the Old age psychiatrists who attended the conference. Some expressed interest to be involved in our projects if we needed more NHS sites for recruitment to our trials.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
 
Description Policy Lab 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact This multidisciplinary 1-day Policy Lab was organised in collaboration with the King's Policy Institute to discuss the idea that cold exposure could be used as an early life intervention to improve cardiometabolic health. The meeting included approximately 40 stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds, including clinicians, scientists, policy makers, school and community groups, charity representatives, the Science Gallery London and research strategy teams. It was agreed that either a targeted experimental medicine approach or a more subtle reduction in ambient temperature could result in induction of brown adipose tissue (or beiging of white adipose tissue) that would in turn improve cardiometabolic health by reducing serum and hepatic lipids and improving susceptibility to diabetes mellitus. A major output was to design a template for a multidisciplinary, collaborative programme of work to address the quesiton of whether intermittent cold exposure is an effective early life intervention to improve metabolic health.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2018