Helen Byrne, Professor of Mathematical Biology, has been appointed co-director of the newly launched Modelling-Informed Medicine Centre (MiMeC). Founded by biopharma company GSK in partnership with the University of Oxford and Imperial College London, the centre will provide a new UK hub for research in the rapidly growing field of data-driven mechanistic modelling.
The centre will create detailed computational models – sometimes described as ‘digital twins’ – of organs including the lungs, liver and kidneys. These models will aid understanding of how diseases of these organs progress, and facilitate the discovery and development of more targeted medicines and treatments.
Supported by £11 million in funding from GSK, the centre brings together multidisciplinary expertise spanning mathematics, data science, biology and related disciplines, as part of a wider effort to strengthen links between academia and industry in the development of new medicines. Alongside Professor Helen Byrne, the programme is led by Professor Philip Maini (University of Oxford), Professor Steven Niederer (Imperial College London), and Dr Anna Sher (GSK).
At the University of Oxford, the programme will focus on developing core mathematical and computational biology models for cartilage and lung diseases. Led by academic experts and supported by postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, the work will focus on mechanistic modelling approaches to improve understanding of disease processes and support the development of more effective treatments.
This research will involve building models grounded in physics, physiology and pharmacology, including multi-scale approaches that connect molecular, cellular and organ-level processes with whole-body physiology. The Oxford teams will also develop digital twins and virtual patients to simulate treatment responses, optimise dosing strategies and support in silico clinical trials, alongside contributing open-source tools, reproducibility standards and case studies demonstrating the impact of model-informed drug and vaccine development.
Professor Helen Byrne said: “We look forward to working with GSK and Imperial to train the next generation of leaders in mechanistic modelling for careers across industry and academia.”