University receives a £10m Research England grant

Aston University will establish the Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME), a globally unique, cross-disciplinary institute to develop novel biomimetic membranes, after receiving a major grant of £10m from Research England.

AIME will be led by Professor Roslyn Bill, from the School of Biosciences, with co-lead Professor Paul Topham from the department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry (CEAC).

Membranes, both biological and synthetic, are hugely important in many sectors. For example, the world’s top ten selling human medicines all target proteins in biological membranes, while synthetic polymer membranes are used in the US$100bn/year water purification industry.

Professor Bill, a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced grantee leads Aston Membrane Proteins and Lipids (AMPL) research centre of excellence that studies the structure and function of membrane proteins and associated lipids.

Professor Topham leads Aston Polymer Research Group (APRG), which investigates the nanoscale behaviour of block copolymers (a type of polymer with a structure made of more than one type of polymer molecule) and polymer technologies for membranes.

AMPL and APRG have already begun collaborative research and AIME will bring together the complementary expertise of both research clusters into one institute.  

AIME will initially comprise the eight researchers from AMPL and APRG. Alongside the co-leads Professor Bill and Professor Topham, will be Dr Alan Goddard, Professor Andrew Devitt, Professor Corinne Spickett, Dr Alice Rothnie, Dr Matt Derry and Dr Alfred Fernandez. It plans to recruit three further academics, six tenure-track research fellows, three postdoctoral research assistants (PDRAs), six PhD students, a research technician and a business development manager.

Importantly, AIME will work with many existing Aston University colleagues to build a comprehensive research community focused on all aspects of membrane science.

The new AIME team will focus on the development of bioinspired, highly selective polymer structures for applications in water purification and waste remediation, nanoparticles loaded with therapeutic molecules to treat disorders ranging from chronic wounds to neurological injuries, and the purification of individual membrane proteins with polymers to study them as drug targets.

The vision is for AIME to become a ‘one-stop shop’ for interdisciplinary, translational membrane research through its facilities access and expertise, ideally located in the heart of the country.

Professor Bill said:“The creation of AIME is ground-breaking. Together with Aston’s investment, E3 funding will deliver a step-change in scale and the rate at which we can grow capacity.

“We will address intractable scientific challenges in health, disease, and biotechnology, combining our world-class expertise in polymer chemistry and membrane biology to study membranes holistically.

“The excellence of our science, alongside recent growth in collaborative successes means we have a unique opportunity to deliver AIME’s ambitious and inclusive vision.”

Professor Aleks Subic, vice-chancellor and chief executive of Aston University, said: “Our new Aston Institute for Membrane Excellence (AIME) will be a regional, national, and international research leader in membrane science, driving game-changing research and innovation that will produce a pipeline of high-quality research outcomes leading to socioeconomic impact, develop future global research leaders, create advanced tech spinout companies and high value-added jobs for Birmingham and the West Midlands region.

“Its establishment aligns perfectly with our 2030 strategy that positions Aston University as a leading university of science, technology and enterprise.”