APPENDIX 72
Memorandum from Professor B Askonas, Imperial
College London
We greatly welcome the decision by the MRC to
accept the majority votes following their consultations that NIMR
should remain as a single multidisciplinary Institute rather than
be split up.
My brief comments relate only to the proposal
to move NIMR to a central London University/Hospital site. I should
like to point out that there are major advantages in leaving NIMR
at its present site. The majority of about 1,000 individuals replying
to the MRC email questionnaire voted that proximity to a Hospital
was not important. The MRC only accepted votes of organisations
where 56% of 36 respondents felt that Hospital proximity was very
important. One complaint has been that there are so many NIMR
alumni responding or writing in: however this in itself reflects
one of the successes of NIMR that so many alumni are Professors
and in high posts at many Universities and Medical Schools throughout
the UK.
In the original MRC Council Sub-committee report
last year Infection/Immunity was to be a major focus in the future.
Undoubtedly there are major advantages to NIMR at Mill Hill for
all aspects of Infection research. I am an Immunologist who carried
out research in immunology of virus and parasite infections at
NIMR some while ago. There are important requirements when dealing
with dangerous pathogens for special facilities—for example
several separate containment facilities 2, 3 and 4 both for laboratory
experimentation as well as for animal isolation set ups. To have
such facilities at the same site requires a lot of space. Security
is essential and undoubtedly everyone is aware of present day
problems created by animal activists preventing the building of
new animal facilities. Additional spare space for emergency problems
such as SARS (that fortunately did not reach the UK) is a bonus.
All these facilities are available at the present NIMR site at
Mill Hill. In recent years more than 50 new viruses that can infect
humans have emerged across the world. At present we have the threat
of bird influenza hanging over us. With new regulations rebuilding
of all these facilities next to a Hospital would be enormously
expensive—it does not seem a great idea to have to move
infected animals over some miles in the centre of London if it
is not possible to have everything at the same site; Moving infected
animals requires special permission from the Home Office on each
occasion.
The science at NIMR is excellent according to
recent quinquennial site visits. NIMR already does translational
research and has many outside collaborations within the UK and
other countries. This could be further encouraged at the Mill
Hill site. In any case, e-mail seems to be a preferred method
of communication these days. Provision of more clinical Fellowships
to be held at NIMR would strengthen closer links with clinical
research and clinical scientists.
22 November 2004
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