Portsmouth researcher awarded share of £6.6m funding to help develop new drug

A University of Portsmouth scientist has been given a share of £6.6 million to help develop a new class of drugs that offer the potential to treat a wide range of diseases.

The Academy of Medical Sciences has awarded 54 ‘exceptional’ biomedical and health researchers through the Springboard scheme in its largest funding round to date. 

Dr David Rusling from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, has been awarded £125,000, the maximum amount offered per person.

Springboard helps newly independent biomedical scientists to launch their research careers. Along with the funding, Springboard recipients benefit from the Academy’s mentoring opportunities and career development programmes. 

Dr Rusling said: “I am genuinely thrilled to have been awarded research funding from the Academy of Medical Sciences through their Springboard program. 

“It will be used to help develop a new class of oligonucleotide drugs that can silence specific disease-associated genes inside living cells.”

Around 1 in 50 people are affected by a known genetic disorder and 1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. 

Triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) are short pieces of synthetic DNA that can target malfunctioning genes and prevent their expression. However, their use has been hampered by their poor binding strength within cells. 

“We have recently overcome this problem by using oligonucleotides containing an unnatural DNA base, and importantly have also developed methods to assemble them using enzymes,” explained Dr Rusling.

“The focus of this research project is to develop a pipeline for producing and characterising such modified oligonucleotides, and to validate the pipeline by silencing  a specific gene called c-myc that is aberrantly expressed in over 70 per cent of human cancers.”

This latest funding round brings the total investment into the next generation of research leaders through Springboard to over £36 million since the scheme began in 2015.  

The programme assists researchers across the full breadth of biomedical science, from molecular biology through to public health. Projects funded this year will advance understanding across a diverse range of health areas including cancer, antimicrobial resistance, musculoskeletal conditions and mental health. 

The Springboard programme responds to the Academy’s call for greater security and career development opportunities for health researchers, as highlighted in its ‘Future Proofing UK Health Research’ report. 

By providing substantial funding and access to mentoring over two years, the programme aims to help emerging research leaders establish their independent research careers and contribute to a sustainable pipeline of research talent in the UK. 

Professor James Naismith FMedSci, Vice-President (Non-Clinical) at the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “The Academy, together with our partners, is committed to cultivating the next generation of biomedical research leaders and ensuring they have the resources and support necessary to realise their immense potential.

“By providing substantial financial backing and access to invaluable career development opportunities at this critical stage, we can enable talented researchers to deliver breakthroughs and innovations to improve human health." 

The Springboard programme is supported by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Wellcome, British Heart Foundation and Diabetes UK. Applications for the next Springboard round from applicants based at eligible institutions will open in Spring 2024. 

Among the new awardees are scientists from 37 institutions. Read the full list of awardees here.