Unlocking life鈥檚 secrets: 51福利社 scientists join team decoding the genome鈥檚 hidden grammar
Researchers at 51福利社 are part of a major national initiative funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to explore some of biology鈥檚 most fundamental mysteries.
The BBSRC has awarded more than 拢20 million through its Strategic Longer and Larger (sLoLa) grants scheme to support four ambitious projects in microbiology, photosynthesis, gene regulation, and quantum biology.
The sLoLa award gives us the freedom to dive deep into the hidden grammar of the genome 鈥� the rules and structures that quietly govern how life works. With this support, our team can take the bold, long-range approach needed to decode these patterns and open new possibilities for understanding and engineering biology.鈥�
Professor Patrick Cai and Dr Joshua James join a project led by Professor Ferenc Mueller from the University of Birmingham that aims to uncover the hidden grammar of the genome 鈥� the underlying logic that governs how genes are switched on and off during development. The team combines cutting-edge computational and experimental approaches to decode these patterns, paving the way for breakthroughs in understanding and engineering biology.
The project is a collaboration between partners at the University of Birmingham, EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute, Imperial College London, The Francis Crick Institute, and the University of Edinburgh.
The sLoLa scheme is designed to support curiosity-driven research that furthers our understanding of how life works which could one day lead to innovation across sectors.
Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said:
鈥淟ong-term investments through our sLoLa scheme brings researchers with different expertise together to collaboratively pursue questions whose answers may reshape our understanding of the living world.鈥�
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