Download Item 1 - Moorfields Eye Hospital

Open Session
ItemMEH
1 Board
Joint Research (MEH and UCL IoO)
Produced by:
Professor Sir Peng Khaw & Professor Phil Luthert
Board of Directors Meeting
20 November 2014
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Open Session MEH Board
MEH Trust Board Report November 2014 – Joint Research (MEH and UCL IoO)
1.
Introduction
This paper provides an update on research funding and output performance across
Moorfields Eye Hospital (MEH) and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (IoO) to indicate the
progress being made against implementation of the Joint Research Strategy (JRS).
2. Context Summary
This is the first full year of the JRS Implementation. The timing for the joint strategy is ideal in
terms of positioning the organisations for the key future milestones including:
1. National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR BRC) &
Clinical Research Facility (CRF) award renewals in 2016-17 worth potentially >£33M.
2. Sir Jules Thorn Clinical Investigation Centre: New facility build for 2020 worth >£5M.
3. Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) of UCL Partners (UCLP) Eyes and Vision
Programme.
4. Working with the Crick Institute from 2015.
5. Punching above our weight in translational medicine for the UK’s > £1.72Bn public
sector research fund.
6. Delivering on the UK life-science economy and Health to Wealth agenda.
The unified organisational vision and demonstrable championing of research excellence is
pivotal to ensure that our global leadership position is maintained in life-changing research
for patients.
Global competition is fierce and the scarcest resource is research talent. Keeping,
developing and acquiring talent in areas of excellence or potential areas of excellence is the
priority. Providing the right environment for such people to flourish is imperative.
Supporting Prof Sir Peng Khaw and Prof Phil Luthert in their leadership roles is the
Joint Strategy Board (JSB) Chaired by Sir Roger Jackling and membership includes John
Pelly, Declan Flanagan and Prof Alan Thompson (UCL). This Board oversees the
prioritisation, resource deployment, progress and delivery of the joint research strategy.
The support mechanism for the JSB and the Researchers is the Joint Management
Team comprised of the Moorfields Eye Hospital (MEH) and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
(IoO) managers, who operationalise, facilitate and deliver outputs and results.
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3. Background
a.
Research Funding
Moorfields Eye Hospital Research Funding
£14,000,000
Other
£12,000,000
Commercial (Supported &
Sponsered)
Research Council
£10,000,000
Special Trustees
Charity
£8,000,000
NHS/NIHR grants
£6,000,000
NIHR FSF/RCF
CLRN Funding
£4,000,000
DoH Culyer funding
£2,000,000
NIHR CRF
NIHR BRC
£0
2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14
Figure 1: Research Funding to MEH 2007 – 2014.
•
The funding gap created by the phasing out of Department of Health (DoH) Culyer has
been replaced by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funding (BRC, Research
Capability Funding (RCF), Research Network (CLRN/LCRN)
•
Growth in NIHR infrastructure / experimental medicine research funding has occurred
year-on-year from 2011/12, driven by increased BRC funding (2012-17; including NIHR
Rare Disease Translational Research Collaboration) and NIHR Clinical Research
Facility funding from 2012.
•
Greater than 75% growth in research funding to MEH since 2009/10. Greater than 50%
growth in research funding to MEH since 2011/12.
•
Funding to MEH from commercial partnerships has increased 6-fold since 2011/12
reflected by a 6-fold increase in commercial study number since 2010-11 (Figure 5).
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Open Session MEH Board
UCL Institute of Ophthalmology Research Funding
£25,000,000
£20,000,000
£15,000,000
£10,000,000
£5,000,000
£0
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
HEFCE
Research Councils
NHS/NIHR
Commercial
Charity
Special Trustees
MEC
EU Government
Other
2013-14
Figure 2: Research Funding to IoO 2009 – 2014.
•
IoO funding by sector is variable year-on-year, except for commercial funding which has
been stable (at around £3m per year).
•
Total funding mean is £19m per year (2009 – 2014).
Combined MEH / IoO Funding
£35,000,000
£30,000,000
£25,000,000
£20,000,000
£15,000,000
£10,000,000
£5,000,000
£0
2009-10
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
NIHR BRC / CRF
NIHR (RCF, CLRN, Grants)
Research Council
Commercial
Charity
Special Trustees
MEC
EU Funding
HEFCE
Other
Figure 3: Research Funding to MEH and IoO combined 2009 – 2014.
•
Together, MEH and IoO have attracted over £130 million in research grants in the past 5
years.
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Open Session MEH Board
b.
Study number
Growth in active studies
200
180
160
140
120
100
2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
Figure 4: Increase in number of studies active at MEH.
•
The total number of studies undertaken at MEH has increased by 25% since 2009/10.
Growth in commercial study number
50
40
30
20
10
0
2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014
Figure 5: Commercial study number increase from 2009 – 2014.
•
We have delivered a 6-fold increase in commercial study number since 2010-11.
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c. Patient recruitment
Figure 6: Increase in patient recruitment to MEH studies
•
Patient recruitment to Moorfields / IoO research studies has increased year-on-year.
•
Patient recruitment has increased almost 5-fold since 2010/11.
•
We are performing a greater number of studies which is resulting in increased patient
recruitment at MEH.
•
The proportion of observational studies and has increased which recruit relatively high
numbers of patients partly explaining 5-fold increase in recruitment over 5 years vs 25%
increase in study number.
•
Patient recruitment increased significantly in 2012/13 and 2013/14 mostly due to six
projects, each of which have recruited at least 200 patients, with one recruiting over 500
patients.
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d. Quintiles / UCL Partners Prime Site performance
•
UCLP Prime site was the world’s leading Quintiles prime site in 2013 based on
recruitment of 792 patients to quintiles research studies.
Figure 7: 792 patients recruited onto Quintiles studies in 2013
•
Moorfields is the top recruiter to Quintiles prime site studies in 2014, albeit to one high
recruiting study.
Figure 8: MEH recruitment to Quintiles prime site studies in 2014.
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e. Publication volume
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
Figure 9: Number of joint publications for MEH and IoO (2010 – 2014(to November 2014))
•
MEH and UCL have the highest proportion of collaborative papers (RAND analysis
2002-2006) compared to all NHS Trusts in England.
•
Our key strengths are in cataract, inherited eye disease, regenerative medicine, gene
therapy and imaging research based on first author publication number.
•
MEH and IoO are leading its competitors in inherited eye disease research.
•
MEH and IoO are losing ground to its main competitors based on publication number in
cataract, glaucoma, retina and AMD research.
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Open Session MEH Board
4. Strategic areas
a. Major Research Themes
“It is the absolute peaks of excellence that create the reputation of the institution.”
•
Endothelial cell biology: In this theme we are focusing primarily on how blood vessels
form in health and disease and how blood vessels interact with other pathological
processes, notably inflammation.
•
Inflammation: Both at IO and in collaboration with colleagues at Bristol we have several
programmes looking at how inflammation in different parts of the eye drives disease and
how this might be blocked.
•
Pathogenesis of retinal vascular disease: Here, the mechanism of age-related macular
degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular diseases are being studied
with a view to developing novel approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
•
Pathogenesis of inherited eye disease: As well as major programmes seeking the
genetic causes of a wide range of eye disease much activity focuses on understanding
how these gene defects cause disease.
•
Gene therapy: The pioneering gene therapy programme has secured significant
research funding over the year but needs considerably more to move forward from
successful experimental proof of concept studies to clinical trials.
•
Stem cell approaches to eye disease: Major programmes are addressing novel
approaches to treating inherited and acquired retinal degenerations, corneal disease
and glaucoma. In addition, we are leading in the use of stem cell technology and gene
editing to study mechanisms of disease.
•
Visual neuroscience: Here we are interested in understanding the detail of how the brain
takes information from the retina and turns it into a visual percept of the world, how this
degrades with disease and what might be done to improve vision in those with
significant impairment.
•
Tissue repair and Drug delivery: We are investigating mechanisms of tissue scarring
which are involved in many blinding diseases and new ways to deliver drugs to the eye
to prevent this scarring
•
Ocular oncology: This is a relatively small theme which we seek to expand and that is
looking at mechanisms of ocular tumour development and seeking to identify new ways
of tackling this.
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b. Research Talent
Attracting, training and developing premier research talent, to drive research output,
discovery and innovation in new treatments
Our reputation has been established through the work of the researchers who have been
and are based here. The intellectual capital of our staff is our most valuable R&D asset:
without researchers there is no research.
We face an ever more competitive international market for research talent. For us to retain
our top-ranking position, we need to identify the talent requirements for our chosen strategic
areas, and then attract, train and develop those select researchers. These plans will link to
the Moorfields education strategy and Institute talent management programmes.
•
We have the opportunity to enhance investigator productivity.
•
Detailed analysis to be presented later
c. Innovation through Integration
Goals & Progress:
•
The joint management team has started the work up of materials designed to promote
what we do, the skills that we have, the impacts we deliver, the partnerships we develop
and the value we bring through the research work that happens. A wide internal
consultation has begun and co-creation workshops started to draft the initial documents
that will form the core of how we engage with our stakeholder groups. The
communications team, the Moorfields way team and a NED are involved.
•
Cross Institution Events are on the work agenda for 2015.
•
There are robust ties with the eye bank and other areas in UCL such as the translational
office, consulting and the EU Horizon 2020 office.
•
The ACTIVETM team (Applied Clinical Trials in Vision & Eyes) led by Dr Jen Burr, Dr
Catey Bunce and Prof Richard Wormald, is a major partnership with the UCL CTU and
has made significant impact in the success of winning the large NIHR grants covered in
the performance section of this paper.
•
Working with Mary Sherry's team in clinical operations, we have research participation
in the clinical transformation programme, which will develop the integration of research
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Open Session MEH Board
work happening at the heart of the clinical service in addition to the more specialist work
happening in the CRF.
•
Prof Sir Peng Khaw's work as UCLP lead for Eyes and Vision is now supported by Dr
Julian Hughes, who recently joined research as Performance and Alliance manager to
strengthen the drive for maximising results.
d. World-leading partnerships
Goals and Progress:
•
There are several areas within partnership development including:
•
Quintiles Prime Site. As the largest global clinical research organisation we have
partnered with them to grow our portfolio clinical trials.
•
Partnership with Roche, to strategically develop new therapies at fundamental science
level and pull them through to first in man studies in the CRF.
•
Collaboration with a company called Bicycle Therapeutics (Cambridge) to explore
opportunities to develop novel compounds to treat ophthalmic disease.
•
Existing long-term partnerships with Pharma and Biotech are ongoing. We are
maximising the translational potential of these partnerships by linking laboratory and
clinical research.
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Developing work with the TEVA Corporation. They already have a partnership
agreement with the Cabinet office for £20M of investment for Chronic Illnesses of aging.
•
The Ophthalmic Futures Event led by Keith Barton brings together key industry figures
to explore partnerships and development opportunities.
•
Recruited a new member of the research team to manage these Partnership and
Alliance developments with the 'Health to Wealth' agenda as a key area of focus.
•
Work with Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust on blindness in commonwealth
5. Enablers
Goals and Progress:
a. Attracting resources by delivering outstanding value for our funders:
•
Appointment of Dr Jen Burr decision maker and panelist on the NIHR grants, who also
mentors researchers at the joint site for the development of high quality research
applications.
•
Adnan Tufail leading on the EU grant partnership for 7M euros, Involving 17 countries.
•
CRM database now live and ready for use as needed by research.
•
PK & PL working in close partnership with MEC for the prioritisation of research
requirements in new funding awards.
•
Working with an agency and in liaison with the MEH Communications team for the work
up of 'good news stories' to highlight research impact and success, due on stream by
February 2015.
b. Insights from Informatics:
•
Research funded an Applications Engineer for the Open Eyes Team. Several meetings
with OE have outlined the requirements research have for OE and have co-developed
with the OE team to design of a module for the future.
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We have created new links to the UCL Informatics Group.
•
Full participation in the 100K Genome project and recent UCLP Genomics Medicine
Centre bid.
c. Discovery Science Headlines
•
Several studies addressing how the permeability of blood vessels is controlled at the
molecular level. This is critical for the development of new approaches to controlling
oedema (excess tissue fluid) in the retina.
•
Refinements to tissue culture of stem cell derived Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE).
•
Investigations into the control of normal and pathological blood vessel development
involving Neuropilin 1 and Lrg1 and including major publications in Development,
Developmental Cell, Journal of Experimental Medicine and Nature. (high impact
journals).
•
New insights into how mutations in genes controlling RNA processing cause dysfunction
of RPE.
•
Elucidation of how mutations in cone pigments cause disease.
•
Many studies on the genetics of glaucoma, corneal disease and retinal degeneration
including in Nature Genetics.
•
Studies of how inflammatory signaling works in supporting (non-neuronal) cells of the
retina known as Muller cells.
•
Key study using stem cell technology to elucidate the mechanism of a retinal
degeneration caused by mutations in the RP2 gene (Human Molecular Genetics). As
well as being of intrinsic interest this study shows the power of using cells from patients
with known mutations to understand disease processes in cell cultures.
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Open Session MEH Board
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The demonstration of how a specific protein links junctions between cells to an
intracellular system controlling cell survival. This is part of a large programme of work
that helps us understand RPE disease (notably AMD) and certain categories of tumours.
•
A study providing novel insights into how RPE processes rod outer segments.
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