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International Institutional Awards Tranche 1 Warwick

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: WMG

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.
 
Description The University of Warwick used the fund to support 14 interdisciplinary collaborations at the University. These were as follows:
1. Too many microbes? - Explaining diversity in microbial communities through an interdisciplinary, international collaboration (Prof. Orkun Soyer, School Life Sciences)
2. Understanding the molecular machines controlling hantavirus replication and transcription (Dr Jeremy Keown, School of Life Sciences)
3. NitroNexus - An international partnership to explore agronomic soil contributions to nitrogenous atmospheric pollutants (Dr Ryan Mushinski, School of Life Sciences)
4. Epidemiology of Rift Valley fever virus in South Africa (Erin Gorsich, School of Life Sciences)
5. Investigation of the mechanisms of interaction between novel pathogenic Escherichia coli phages and their host clinical isolates in human cells (Antonia Sagona, School of Life Sciences)
6. Spatial expression of young gene duplicates (Ed Smith, School of Life Sciences)
7. Discovery of secondary metabolites from the plant endophyte Pantoea agglomerans (Fabrizio Alberti, School of Life Sciences & Lijiang Song, Chemistry)
8. Decoding bacterial cryptic signals for antibiotic discovery (Chis Corre, School of Life Sciences & Lona Alkhalaf, Chemistry)
9. Novel methods to determine human circadian phase from single biosamples (Dr Robert Dallmann, WMS & Prof. David Rand, Maths)
10. Force-mediated regulation of cell fate and division by mechanosensitive transcriptional response (Dr Michael Smutny, WMS)
11. Time-resolved Liquid Phase Electron Microscopy (Dr Peng Wang, Physics)
12. Identifiability of metabolic pathway models for understanding biomanufacturing constraints (Dr Alex Darlington, Engineering)
13. Understanding renal tubule development through quantitative imaging and continuum mechanics (Dr Aparna Ratheesh, WMS)
14. Physics to Physiology of Cell Division (Prof. Mohan Balasubramanian, WMS)

The values achieved from the IIA funding, with collaborative contributions from UK and overseas partners, covers a breadth of areas that included:
- Scientific advances: e.g. generation of a new mathematical model refined with experimental data to understand how energy input into a microbial community affects diversity within the community; isolation of novel bacteriophage with in depth characterisation; development of pangenomic resources for Nematostella vectensis that enable the long-read RNAseq single cell expression patterns to gene duplicates to be discerned; development of a method to "cut" yeast cells to measure internal pressure
- Generation of research data to include in nine research papers, eight of which are in draft and one submitted
- All IIA-funded projects have led to plans to secure further funding to develop the research and continue the collaboration. Nine research grant proposals are in progress for external funding to submit to Human Frontier Science Program, BBSRC RM, BBSRC-NSF, BBSRC Follow-on-Fund, European Cost Action, MRC RM, EPSRC RM, Royal Society International Exchanges scheme and one joint PhD studentship application is underway. Six research grant applications have been submitted, two for internal funding and the others for external funding, including for a BBSRC NIA, BBSRC RM, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Cost Share call, UKRI CRCRM (to internal selection process),
- Presentations: Presentation at the 2024 Cnidarian Model Systems meeting and delivery of an on-line seminar called "Young Scientists Shaping the Future" delivered by UK and overseas partners
- Workshops that provided opportunity for wider members of the community to realise benefits from the main partnership, such as gaining research knowledge, developing technical expertise or building networks
- Xiamen University provided support to allow one of their researchers to continue a stay at Warwick for 6 months to further develop technical expertise in LP-EM at Warwick and continue the collaboration
- Generation of a new interdisciplinary network between Warwick Medical School, Life Sciences and Computer Science researchers
Exploitation Route For all projects there are plans for partners to continue the IIA collaborations.
- Nine research grant proposals are in progress for external funding to submit to Human Frontier Science Program, BBSRC RM, BBSRC-NSF, European Cost Action, MRC RM, EPSRC RM, Royal Society International Exchanges scheme and one joint PhD studentship application is underway. Six research grant applications were submitted, two for internal funding and the others for external funding, including for a BBSRC NIA, BBSRC RM, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Cost Share call, UKRI CRCRM (to internal selection process).
- A PhD studentship has already been secured by one of the Warwick leads to continue the research on understanding renal tube development that includes an overseas partner at EMBL, Heidelberg
- In the shorter term, a collaboration with University of Perugia, Italy, will continue to be supported financially by Perugia to perform some plant experiments to generate further data
Sectors Agriculture

Food and Drink

Environment

Healthcare

Manufacturing

including Industrial Biotechology

Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology
 
Description Organised AMR and Circadian Disruption themed poli y workshops
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact The workshops will have two outcomes: 1. Train ECRs in how to engage with policy stakeholders and the public on topics they are trained professionals in with a goal to translate research and professional practice into policy. 2. Galvanise the UK community and focus policy engagement on 2 specific topics to generate a critical mass that can advance important research outcome towards information and implementation in policy (shiftwork health consequences, chronotherapy chances).
URL http://bioclocks.uk
 
Description RSM Sleep disorders in physical health - why they matter in the hospital
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact Educating a wide selection of medical practitioners in the importance of accounting for the circadian clock in hospital settings. Start of collaboration with neurologist consultant working with N24SWD.
URL https://www.rsm.ac.uk/events/sleep-medicine/2024-25/slt02/
 
Description Collaboration with Dr Akshit Goyal 
Organisation International Centre for Theoretical Sciences
Country India 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Online and in-person meetings held to develop new experiments and plan future collaborative grant applications. Organised a small workshop to include other UK academics.
Collaborator Contribution Online and in-person meetings held to develop new experiments and plan future collaborative grant applications
Impact None to report yet.
Start Year 2024
 
Description Collaboration with Dr Thomas Edwards 
Organisation Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We have been working on this project and we are now submitting a new grant to get more funding for this project.
Collaborator Contribution exchange expertise and ideas/ reagents
Impact we are currently have a draft paper to be submitting and we are also submitting a grant to get funding to continue this collaboration.
Start Year 2024
 
Title TimeTeller R package 
Description TimeTeller implementation as R package 
Type Of Technology Webtool/Application 
Year Produced 2024 
Open Source License? Yes  
Impact TimeTeller R package has been released 29 Feb 2024. 
URL https://github.com/VadimVasilyev1994/TimeTeller