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National Institute for Medical Research

The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), was a medical research institute based in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of north London, England. It was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC);

National Institute For Medical Research
AbbreviationNIMR
Merged intoThe Francis Crick Institute
Formation1913
Dissolved1 April 2015
Legal statusGovernment agency
PurposeBiological research
Location
Region served
United Kingdom
Membership
240 scientists
Director
Prof Jim Smith
Parent organization
Medical Research Council (MRC)
AffiliationsBBSRC, WHO, NHS, Dstl
WebsiteArchived

In 2016, the NIMR became part of the new Francis Crick Institute, which was constructed next to St Pancras railway station in the Camden area of central London.

History

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Foundation

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Henry Hallett Dale

The Medical Research Council, founded in 1913, was immediately charged with establishing a central research institute in London. Later that year, premises at Hampstead were acquired and the National Institute for Medical Research was founded.[citation needed]

However, the outbreak of World War I soon afterwards delayed occupation of the building, although senior staff were appointed and began work. By 1920 the institute at Mount Vernon Hospital was fully operational and remained so for 30 years until the move to Mill Hill. The original institute, under the directorship of Sir Henry Dale, had three divisions:[citation needed]

Dale oversaw a period of considerable success at NIMR, including the discovery of the human influenza virus in 1933 and the discovery of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, for which Dale himself received the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[citation needed]

Moving to Mill Hill

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Helio Pereira, the then-Director of the World Influenza Centre at NIMR Mill Hill, oversees flu virus research

In the 1930s, the decision was made to move the institute to new premises. An imposing copper-roofed building at Mill Hill was designed by Maxwell Ayrton, the architect of the original Wembley Stadium, and construction began in 1937. Occupation was delayed when war broke out in 1939 and the building was given to the Women's Royal Naval Service. The building was returned to the MRC in autumn 1949 but Dale had retired in 1942 and so was never director on the new site, that job falling to his successor Sir Charles Harington.[citation needed]

 
NIMR lab technicians in 1950

The official opening ceremony took place on 5 May 1950, with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth present. Harington expanded the research programme into ten divisions during his 20-year tenure and guided researchers at the institute to, amongst other achievements, the development of gas chromatography and the discovery of interferon. From 1950 to 1955 Albert Neuberger was Head of Biochemistry at the institute.In 1962, Nobel Prize winner Sir Peter Medawar became director and, consistent with his research interests, established NIMR as a major centre for immunological research. Following an illness, Medawar retired as director in 1971 to be replaced by Sir Arnold Burgen. Burgen had an interest in nuclear magnetic resonance techniques and formed the MRC Biomedical NMR Centre at the institute in 1980. Sir Dai Rees became director in 1982 to be replaced by Sir John Skehel in 1987.[citation needed]

2000 to present

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Demolition began in April 2018

In 2003, as part of their Forward Investment Strategy, the MRC announced plans to consider moving NIMR from its location in Mill Hill to a university/medical school site, to enhance its ability "to translate its biomedical research into practical health outcomes." [1][2] University College London was selected as a preferred partner institution, and a nearby site in central London was acquired.[3]

Some staff at the NIMR, including Robin Lovell-Badge and Skehel, expressed opposition to a move. In response to accusations of "coercion" during the review process, a House of Commons select committee investigation criticised both the MRC for losing the confidence of NIMR workers, and unnamed NIMR staff for "undermining [Colin] Blakemore's position as MRC chief executive."[4][5]

In September 2006, Skehel retired as NIMR director [6] and Sir Keith Peters became acting director [7] until the future structure of the new institute could be finalised. In July of that year the MRC announced that Scott Fraser of the California Institute of Technology had been invited to take over the directorship.[8] According to Blakemore, negotiations were ongoing as of December 2006.[2] However, finally, in October 2008, Jim Smith of the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge (who worked at the NIMR from 1984 to 2000), accepted the directorship, with effect from January 2009.[citation needed]

On 1 April 2015, the NIMR became part of the new Francis Crick Institute[9] and ceased to exist as a separate MRC institute. The site at Mill Hill was fully vacated and closed for redevelopment during 2017.

In 2018 demolition of the building began, to make way for new homes.[10]

Activities

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Mill Hill Essays

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A yearly collection of essays is produced by guest authors and staff at the institute, under the title Mill Hill Essays.[11] They are written to be accessible and informative to the lay reader.[citation needed]

Notable staff

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In fiction

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The rooms and other locations in the building were used in the film Batman Begins, for the Arkham Asylum scenes.[13]

The location was also used in Episode 2, Series 2 of the Channel 4 comedy series, 'Toast of London' to double as a tax office with the character of Ray Purchase seen entering the building.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Medical Research Council - NIMR Renewal". Medical Research Council. Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 21 December 2006.
  2. ^ a b "Page cannot be found". Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  3. ^ Haverty, Amanda (19 November 2003). "Irish science funds flow again". The Scientist. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  4. ^ "The Scientist :: NIMR inquiry criticizes MRC, Feb. 8, 2005". Archived from the original on 26 November 2005.
  5. ^ "House of Commons - Science and Technology - Fourth Report". parliament.uk.
  6. ^ "NIMR, London :: News :: 2006". Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  7. ^ "National Institute for Medical Research, London :: Organisation structure". Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  8. ^ "NIMR update". 30 May 2014.
  9. ^ "A new name for UKCMRI". crick.ac.uk. The Francis Crick Institute. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  10. ^ Jones, Nick (9 April 2018). "Demolition eats away at local landmark". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Mill Hill Essays | MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London". Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  12. ^ Kolata, Gina (22 January 2015). "Jean Lindenmann, Who Made Interferon His Life's Work, Is Dead at 90". New York Times. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  13. ^ "From leafy suburbs to silver screen". Times Series.
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51°37′03″N 0°13′11″W / 51.6175°N 0.2198°W / 51.6175; -0.2198

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