IMPACT
What's New
Research Facilities and Capabilities
The MIB has state of the art facilities and research capabilities.
In addition to dedicated core resourses we have high end research instrumentation including EPR and SIMS
Research Impact
The MIB has a significant research porfolio at the interfaces between engineering, the physical sciences and bioscience. The high international profile of its researchers their publications and collaborations are coupled with a dedication to developing and appling novel technologies in biointerface research. This interdisciplinary research reaches across the Faculties and Schools of the University with knowledge transfer and collaborations/partnerships with the industrial sector.
Researchers within the MIB work closely with the University technology transfer company, UMIP, to explore commercialisation of research findings.
Spin-off company Conformetrix is going from strength to strength.
Andrew Almonds' discovery of the flexible 3D molecular shape of hyaluronan quickly led to a UK patent and the all important "proof of concept" that their new methodology could be generalised to any small flexible molecules, such as antibiotics and hormones. In 2007, Almond and colleague Dr Charles Blundell formed the spin-out company Conformetrix to exploit their technology, winning the Bionow Biomedical start-up of the year award in 2008. Andrew was runner up in the 2009 BBSRC Innovator of the year competition.
MIB - Meeting the global energy challenge Read more
The MIB has a number of projects contributing to the global energy challenge researching alternative biofuels and biocatalysists.
Nick Turner (CoEBio3) is conducting EU funded Biofuels and Biorefinery research and is exploring the development of new green chemical processes and white biotechnology.
David Leys and Nigel Scrutton are part of an EU "Direct Fuel" consortium investigating the "Direct biological conversion of solar energy to volatile hydrocarbon fuels by engineered cyanobacteria". They also have a collaboration with a major industrial partner in a project entitled "towards biologically produced hydrocarbons"
The Carbon Trust has funded two research projects involving MIB researchers Peter Fielden and Roy Goodacre in the global race to commercialise algae biofuels.
The MIB offers one of the few graduate training environments in the world that is dedicated to new-era quantitative bioscience, offering unique opportunities for graduates in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematics or Engineering to carry out multidisciplinary postgraduate research. We currently host over 170 postgraduate researchers training across the sciences with one of only 3 Doctoral Training Centres in Integrative Systems Biology Read More
MIB Scientists are committed to Public Engagement (PE) at all levels.
MIB scientist Claire Eyers, Acting Director of the Michael Barber Centre for Mass Spectrometry (MBC), is helping Manchester Science and Industry Museum (MOSI) in the redesign of their permanent mass spectrometry exhibit. The new exhibit will open in October.
As part of the Manchester Science Festival, two MIB undergraduate project students along with Jill Barber, Sally Freeman and 5 colleagues organised the Bacteria Party at the Zion Arts Centre, Hulme.
The event aimed to educate teenagers aged 12-19 on the important issues of microbial resistance, appropriate use of antibiotics and promoted the best ways to maintain good health and prevent infection. Read more