at the EMBL
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Molecular Medicine
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A new interdisciplinary initiative Molecular medicine in EMBL's Scientific Programme (2001-2005) EMBL groups working on medically-related themes Activities (minisymposia, meetings, etc.) |
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Basic research and molecular medicine at the EMBL: a brief introduction
In many areas in the life sciences, the boundary between what has been considered "basic" and "applied" research is dissolving rapidly. This is particularly evident in molecular biology's increasing impact on the pharmaceuticals industry and across the spectrum of the medical field. As we learn more and more about the genetic basis of disease, as the applicability of molecular techniques increases, as genome projects progress and DNA chip technology advances, "basic" research is having very direct effects on areas related to human health, and there are numerous opportunitites for cross-fertilization. This immediacy has raised the awareness of our scientists about the medical potential of much of the work being done at EMBL.
As a result, a number of group leaders at the Laboratory have decided to create an interdisciplinary, molecular medicine initiative with the following goals:
The Draft proposal for the Scientific Programme (2001-2005)
Every five years, EMBL creates a general plan for the activities it
proposes for the future. This "Scientific Programme" addresses both scientific
and funding issues. In 1999, the Laboratory composed a draft of its plan
for the period 2001-2005, which will be revised upon consultations with
delegates, ministers and representatives from the sixteen member states.
The proposal includes specific plans for the existing units of the Laboratory
as well as a number of "interdisciplinary activities," such as Molecular
Medicine, which cross traditional Programme boundaries.
A final version of the Scientific Programme will be submitted and voted
upon at the meeting of the EMBL Council late in the year 2000.
(link
to the full Scientific Programme text)
Molecular Medicine in the Scientific Programme
Abstract - Point summary - Introduction - the Inter-unit initiative - Outreach - Neurobiology - Groups
Enhancing the interface of EMBL research with medicine; seminars and minisymposia on molecular medicine; opportunities for MD/PhD students in the EMBL PhD Programme and for Visiting Medical Fellows; collaborative links and partnerships with clinical research institutions in the member states; neurobiology focus group.
EMBLís proposed focus on functional genomics will provide an opportunity that should not be missed: to galvanize progress at the interface with clinical medicine. These two broad fields have some common features: their multidisciplinary nature, the necessity ofemploying cellular and animal model systems, and their use of tools from molecular biology. Medicine is already being heavily influenced by the first examples of applying molecular approaches to clinical problems. This includes the practice of molecular approaches to diagnosis and genetic counseling, the emergence of recombinant proteins as novel therapeutics and vaccines, and the diagnosis and monitoring of patients with cancer or persistent infectious diseases. The integration of functional genomics and medicine will revolutionize clinical practice in the 21st century. For example, the search for better molecular understanding of common and complex multigenic diseases, such as cardiovascular and degenerative disorders, remains a formidable challenge but now seems an approachable path towards future intervention. Here, we use the term Molecular Medicine to cover research into the fundamental aspects of human disease in model systems (such as mice, fish, flies or indeed yeast) using approaches that are often multidisciplinary (e.g. including bioinformatics and the development of new methodologies and instrumentation); and the application of the derived knowledge to clinical research and practice.
EMBL has a strong scientific foundation that will enable it to contribute to the Molecular Medicine revolution. As detailed in Table 1, numerous projects of medical relevance are already ongoing in some 30 research groups across all EMBL Units. Molecular Medicine hence represents an ideal theme for an inter-Unit initiative. However, the Laboratory currently lacks two critical components for it to play a significant role in Molecular Medicine: an internal framework to encourage work in this direction, and strong ties with the medical community. As detailed below, we plan to establish both the required internal framework and external collaborative partnerships, laying the foundation for much broader contributions from EMBL to research in Molecular Medicine in Europe. Moreover, EMBLís experience and commitment to providing training for scientists of its member states will guarantee that newly developed methodologies will rapidly be transferred to the research community. The rationale for the Molecular Medicine initiative is dual: i) to stimulate in the Laboratory the awareness of medical opportunities arising from ongoing research, and ii) to raise the interest of the European medical research community in Europe for the research and training opportunities that exist at EMBL.
The Inter-Unit Initiative as an Internal Framework for
Molecular Medicine
In a first step towards this initiative, we have established a Molecular
Medicine Focus Group to co-ordinate action and stimulate a vibrant inter-Unit
exchange of ideas and information in this area. The Focus Group plans to
organize regular seminars on pertinent themes in Molecular Medicine, to
further foster existing interest within the Laboratory and to reach out
into the clinical community. Furthermore, a series of one-day mini-symposia
will be launched, focusing on themes in Molecular Medicine that relate
to ongoing research activities within the Laboratory (e.g. genetic diseases,
host-pathogen interactions, structural and bioinformatic approaches to
disease, cancer). This should bring together EMBL scientists and external
experts, including clinicians, for discussion and information exchange.
The seminars and mini-symposia will involve all sites of the Laboratory.
Within the existing structure of the Laboratory, future search committees
for group leaders and team leaders will be mindful of the desirability
of strengthening this inter-Unit initiative.
EMBL is (and will remain) an institution with a primary focus on basic research in the life sciences, and as such it is not currently associated with a particular hospital. However, research with medical implications is distributed across all Units and sites of EMBL, creating the opportunity for close interactions with neighbouring medical centers in the four largest member states. Interactions will not be limited to these states, as collaborations can be pursued at a distance, facilitated by the existence of the EMBL Visitors Programmes, and promoted by our new emphasis of developing institutional partnerships (see section: Training, Service and Outreach). Across the Units of the Laboratory, we will allocate existing or upgraded facilities for collaborative research on medical problems. For the most part, this can be achieved with limited additional resources beyond what will be needed for other activities described elsewhere in this proposal.
Significant new investment is planned for the Mouse Biology Programme in Monterotondo (see also the section on the plans of that Programme). Provided that expanded research and animal house space is made available by the host country, the EMBL Monterotondo Programme will be well positioned to expand into a European center for research on mouse models of human disease. This will be facilitated if the adjacent European Mutant Mouse Archive (EMMA) comes fully into operation with adequate support. To make Monterotondo a center useful to the European medical research community,three new groups should be added to the existing three, and the facilities should be upgraded for visitors, both in terms of space and equipment. Monterotondo already has state of the art P2 facilities for research on infectious diseases. This infrastructure should be complemented by fully-equipped facilities for mouse pathology and immunohistochemistry. The Programme intends to host a wide collection of mouse strains ("Cre-Zoo") with which gene deletions can be generated in a specific cell lineage or at a specific stage in development. It will have dedicated visitor space to facilitate the generation and analysis of such mouse models, which are relevant for both inherited and acquired diseases.
Outreach to the European medical community
As an effective means of building ties with the medical community, we will initiate an EMBL-wide visiting Medical Fellows programme. This programme is intended to bring fellows who are committed to and experienced in some aspect of medical research into close collaborative contact with research groups at the EMBL. Selected by a committee from the Molecular Medicine Focus Group, up to ten fellows per year will be able to spend a significant amount of time (3-12 months) doing research in the appropriate unit of the Laboratory and gaining deeper familiarity with the opportunities arising from the work of their host group and Unit. Similarly, we expect the host groups to gain an increased awareness of how their research might be, or might become, of practical application and benefit in a clinical setting. After these initial collaborative contacts, we will seek to actively maintain the links forged through the Medical Fellows programme, through bilateral collaborations between the individuals and, if appropriate, between their home institutions.
EMBL is specifically interested in progressively developing partnerships at the institutional level with medical institutions in the member states. Provided that sufficient common interest are demonstrated through bilateral contacts and initial collaborations between individual scientists, institutional partnerships could develop to facilitate personnel exchange, joint workshops and joint research initiatives, with the ultimate goal of moving lab bench results into clinical practice. For EMBL scientists, the partner institutions could provide access to and expertise in methodologies which the Laboratory does not have which have specifically related to medical research. Conversely, the partner centers could gain access to systematic training in areas in which the EMBL is particularly strong. Thus, through institutional partnerships and the Medical Fellows programme, the EMBL wishes to establish strong, active and mutually beneficial ties with the clinical community.
In addition to the Medical Fellows programme, we will offer the possibility of joint MD/PhD degrees with partner institutions through the EMBL International PhD Programme. EMBL is already authorized to grant the PhD, alone or jointly with institutions in the member states. Although it would be premature to launch a separate, full-scale MD/PhD programme, recent medical graduates or advanced medical students with a particular aptitude for research in Molecular Medicine could perform their PhD research requirements at the EMBL as members of the International PhD Programme, on a case-by-case basis. These students would receive their PhD jointly from the EMBL and the partner institution, from which they have obtained or are in the process of obtaining their medical degree.
EMBL is fully cognisant of the immense importance and breadth of the
Neurosciences, a dynamic and innovative field that ranges from molecular
neurobiology to the cognitive sciences. A number of research groups are
already pursuing research in molecular, cellular and developmental neurobiology,
in different Units of the Laboratory (Table 2). The respective faculty
are important participants in the Molecular Medicine Focus Group. EMBL
intends to highlight, reinforce and gradually expand these activities,
through the formation of a parallel, Neurobiology Focus Group.
The Laboratory would wish to become more broadly engaged in the Neurosciences,
including the study of brain functions that capitalizes on novel imaging
methods, and extending into the cognitive sciences. However, in the near
future we see no realistic prospects that we could gain the substantial
additional resources required for such a broad effort. Certainly we could
not mount that effort and simultaneously provide the urgently required
reinforcement of EMBL's current strength, so as to meet the challenge of
functional genomics. We are mindful of the responsibility of programmatic
planning, which involves not only setting ambitious goals but also making
hard choices.
Therefore, in the absence of sufficient resources, we set a modest goal
for the neurosciences at EMBL in the next five years: consolidating and
gradually expanding the current nucleus of research in molecular, cellular
and developmental neurobiology. Continued affiliation with the existing
Units will be optimal for these neurobiology groups to continue to profit
from the strength of the Laboratory in the respective generalist disciplines.
At the same time, formation of a Neurobiology Focus Group with activities
such as special seminar series and symposia, will raise the profile of
the neurosciences at EMBL, encourage the recruitment of neuroscientists
in the existing Units, and prepare the ground for establishing a future
Neurosciences Unit at a more propitious time, hopefully on the occasion
of the next five-year Scientific Programme.
EMBL groups working on medically-related themes