NEWS


A roundup of the latest news stories in scientific computing


LABORATORY INFORMATICS


Francis Crick Institute receives £1bn to advance biomedical research


The Medical Research Council (MRC), Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Wellcome Trust will provide The Francis Crick institute with £1bn in funding over the next seven years to help expand the research institute’s role. This will support the ambition to make the


UK into a place where researchers work at the forefront of global innovation. Research at the ‘Crick’ has studied the evolution of lung cancer, revealing how therapies can outpace the disease, and helped to discover a new vaccine against tuberculosis. The UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson,


comments: ‘The UK’s Francis Crick Institute is at the centre of forging ground-breaking advances to beat diseases like cancer and dementia sooner, helping deliver major improvements to diagnosis and treatment, as well as preventing infection in the first place. ‘Thanks to £1bn in new funding, the Crick


can go further to propel scientific discovery forward, harnessing British ingenuity, supporting new innovative companies to grow, and cementing the UK’s place as a science superpower,’ Johnson adds. The Francis Crick Institute is a national flagship for biomedical research. It was formed in 2015 to help us understand more about how living things work to help transform treatment, diagnosis and aid the prevention of


MODELLING AND SIMULATION The first Cern-driven satellite to study radiation effects on electronics


Celesta, the first Cern-driven satellite, successfully entered orbit during the maiden flight of Europe’s Vega-C launch vehicle. It was launched by the European Space Agency from the French Guiana Space Centre (CSG) on 13 July 2022. The satellite deployed smoothly and transmitted its first signals in the afternoon. Weighing one kilogram and measuring 10 centimetres on each of its sides, Celesta (Cern Latchup


30 Scientific Computing World Summer 2022


and Radmon experiment student satellite) is a 1U CubeSat designed to study the effects of cosmic radiation on electronics. The satellite carries a Space RadMon – a miniature version of a well-proven radiation monitoring device deployed in Cern’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Celesta has been sent into an Earth orbit of almost 6,000 kilometres. ‘Right in the middle of the inner Van Allen belt, Celesta will survey an


unusual orbit where radiation levels are at their highest,’ explains Markus Brugger, Head of the Cern Experimental Areas group and initiator of both the Charm and Celesta projects in the context of the R2E (Radiation to Electronics) initiative. Ruben Garcia Alia, R2E project


leader, says: ‘The Space RadMon is a flagship example of how Cern technologies can have applications beyond particle


physics experiments. Based entirely on standardised, ultra- sensitive components selected and calibrated by Cern, and mostly in Cern facilities, the Space RadMon is a lightweight and low- power instrument, ideal for future risk-tolerant space missions. ‘If Celesta is successful, the Space RadMon could even be adapted to satellite constellations as a predictive maintenance tool to anticipate the g


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human diseases such as cancer, heart disease, infections and neurodegenerative diseases. The institute also generates economic


opportunities for the UK, with 10 companies launching from research projects undertaken acoss the years. Professor John Iredale, MRC Executive


Chair, says: ‘The Crick has been a flagship discovery biomedical science centre since its formation in 2015. This funding from MRC, CRUK and Wellcome will continue to support the institute in advancing its world-class biomedical research and helping to solve scientific challenges. ‘Since its founding, the Crick has already produced many important advances in human


health and disease, spanning cancer, Covid-19, neurodegeneration and embryo development, and we’re proud to continue supporting its ground-breaking research.’ Dr Michael Dunn, Director of Discovery


Research at Wellcome, comments: ‘The Francis Crick Institute is a world-leading research organisation, committed to ground- breaking discovery research, pioneering interdisciplinary research and training early- career researchers from all around the world. We are delighted to continue supporting the Crick’s work, alongside MRC and CRUK, and this funding comes at a crucial time for discovery research. The Crick’s bold ideas will make a real difference to human health.’


Alex Yeung/shutterstock


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