Back to previous page

Independent report

Decades of discovery science set to revolutionise healthcare

A case study of the impact of discovery science on public health and wellbeing.

From:
MRC
Published:

Documents

Decades of discovery science set to revolutionise healthcare (PDF)

, 442 KB

If you cannot open or read this document, you can ask for a different format.

Request a different format

Email web@ukri.org, telling us:

  • the name of the document
  • what format you need
  • any assistive technology you use (such as type of screen reader).

Find out about our approach to the accessibility of our website.

Details

This report presents a case study showcasing the impact of discovery science on public health and well-being using nanopore sequencing as an example.

Curiosity-driven discovery science provides the fertile ground upon which novel technologies for improving human health are developed; historical examples include the development of MRI for imaging, or radiotherapy for treating cancer.

Similarly, the foundations of nanopore sequencing, a novel technology with applications in healthcare, were established via decades of interdisciplinary discovery science and now have been successfully translated into practice through industry research and development.

The development of nanopore sequencing is a powerful example of how a myriad of discovery science breakthroughs, funded by MRC and others, was successfully translated to deliver widespread societal impact.

This technology enables hospitals, GP surgeries, or rural clinics to offer genetic sequencing ‘by the bedside’.

Nanopore sequencing represents a paradigm shift in genomics targeted for population health.

This is the website for UKRI: our seven research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Let us know if you have feedback or would like to help improve our online products and services.