The Medical Research Council (MRC), in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has provided £28.5 million in funding to establish the Human Functional Genomics Initiative programme.
It aims to advance our understanding of how genomic variation influences human physiology and how it changes over time and in disease.
The funding supports four research clusters that will focus on technology development and research into genomic variation in a range of disease areas.
Professor Dominic Furniss at NDORMS will lead a cluster Harnessing the interplay of genetics, cells and matrix to deliver insights into musculoskeletal health and new therapies in musculoskeletal disease. Together with his team he will use a variety of functional genomics techniques to:
- boost our understanding of musculoskeletal health and disease
- generate therapeutic targets for future studies
- provide tools and training for the wider community