Biomedical Sciences Research Institute

The Biomedical Sciences Research Institute (BMSRI) was formally established on 1st October 2004.

The Research Director (together with the Dean of Life & Health Sciences and the Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences) has responsibility for the overall research strategy of the Institute, resource allocation, staff development, attainment targets, dissemination of information and reporting performance, and enhancement of the Institute’s profile within the University and in the broader research community.

The BMSRI is one of 6 Research Institutes (RI) within the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences and is based on the Coleraine Campus.

The BMSRI specialises in the study of the biological mechanisms (especially those which relate to gene-nutrient interactions) associated with degenerative diseases - eg., cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and visual deterioration. Members of the Institute are conducting pioneering research in these areas, with a determination to investigate the underlying causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of human degenerative diseases.

The BMSRI is also exploiting the remarkable opportunities made possible by recent molecular advances: revolutionary changes in biomedicine and biotechnology that will soon transform whole industries and economies, but which offer particular advantages in our field. The proper application of the results of our research can confidently be expected, over the next decade, to transform our understanding of human biology and pathology by giving us a real understanding of their very complex molecular aspects. The BMSRI is actively pursuing these goals by applying a range of rapidly developing techniques: bioimaging, systems biology, genomics, proteomics, transgenics etc., to a variety of problems in human health.

In addition, the BMSRI is committed to providing scientific support for the knowledge-intensive, high-added value biotechnological and biomedical industries, which are establishing themselves in Northern Ireland, and which may reasonably be expected to make substantial contributions to economic renewal. Prospects in medical products and biotechnology and in the modification of foods to produce more valuable, healthier products, are remarkably promising.