The University of Liverpool has secured almost £2 million to invest in cutting-edge research technology that will strengthen its life sciences capabilities and support new discoveries.
Thanks to funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) ALERT programme, the University will acquire two major pieces of equipment within Liverpool Shared Research Facilities (LIV-SRF), enhancing the University’s expertise in multi-omics research, including the study of genes (genomics) and proteins (proteomics).
The University secured funding in a highly competitive application process, reflecting the strength and strategic significance of its research infrastructure proposals.
Professor Ian Prior, Co-Director of Liverpool Shared Research Facilities, said: “These awards are testament to the strength of collaboration between our academic researchers and specialist facility teams.
“The new technologies will provide researchers with powerful new ways to explore biological systems, from understanding the molecular basis of infection and disease to developing new therapeutic approaches. They will strengthen Liverpool’s position as a leader in multi-omics research while ensuring our facilities remain at the forefront of technological innovation.
“Importantly, these platforms will be available to researchers across the University and to our external partners, helping to drive discovery, collaboration and impact well into the future.”
The new equipment is expected to become operational in 2027, providing researchers and external collaborators with access to world-leading technologies that support both fundamental biological research and translational science.
Strengthening multi-omics research
One award will fund the ‘AVITI24: An Integrated Experimental Framework for Resolving Molecular and Phenotypic Cellular Responses Across Biosystems’, led by Professor Alistair Darby.
The new platform will enhance Liverpool’s ability to study biological systems at both single-cell and spatial resolution, enabling researchers to analyse RNA, proteins, cellular morphology and spatial context from the same sample. The technology will be delivered through the University’s Centre for Genomic Research and Spatial Profiling Lab.
The investment will support a wide range of research applications, including infectious diseases, host-microbe interactions, cancer biology, drug toxicology and animal health. The project brings together researchers from across the University’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, alongside specialist teams within LIV-SRF.
Advancing proteomics capability
A second award, led by Professor Richard Scheltema with Professors Claire Eyers and Ed Emmott and Dr Andrew Chetwynd, will establish new next-generation mass spectrometry capability within the Centre for Proteome Research.
The new equipment will enable researchers to analyse more samples in less time while introducing advanced protein sequencing and the ability to map their chemical modifications. This will enable researchers to undertake more ambitious and complex studies, accelerating investigations into diseases. For example, from identifying how proteins malfunction in cancer to tracking how drugs modify their targets in living tissue.
The enhanced capacity will also support external academic and industry collaborations, further strengthening Liverpool’s role as a national centre of excellence in proteomics research.
AVITI24 team
Co-investigators span the University’s biological and clinical research including:
- LIV-SRF technology specialists – Dr. Ecaterina Vamos, Ms. Claudia Wierzbicki, Dr. Anita Lucaci, Dr Philip Brownridge, and Dr. Sam Haldenby
- Biochemistry, Cell and Systems Biology – Professors Claire Eyers and Ed Emmott, Dr Dom Byrne and Dr Andris Jankevics
- Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour – Professor Steve Paterson
- Infection Biology and Microbiomes – Dr Krystyna Cwiklinski
- Clinical Infection, Microbiology and Immunology – Dr Natalia Cattelan and Professor Jay Hinton
- Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine – Professor Ian Prior
- Livestock and One Health – Professor George Oikonomou
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics – Dr Amy Chadwick.
For more information about Liverpool Shared Research Facilities, visit the LIV-SRF website or contact livsrf@liverpool.ac.uk.