The UK Proteostasis Network, launched by The Babraham Institute in 2024 with support from the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge and the MRC Toxicology Unit has been awarded a £600,000 Network Grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). This grant will support the development of the UK Proteostasis Network over the next three years, funding research, training & networking across the UK.
The UK Proteostasis Network was created to connect researchers from academia and industry across the full range of proteostasis processes and model systems. This BBSRC Network Grant will support the future development of the UK Proteostasis Network from 2025-2028 including integrating the UK’s existing proteostasis communities, combining research efforts to understand how organisms respond to challenges to proteostasis and develop resilience across the course of their life, and building the international profile of UK proteostasis research. Network-building activities will include community-led workshops, providing pump-priming grants, lab exchange awards and summer studentships.
Proteostasis is an umbrella term that describes the production, folding, trafficking and dismantling of proteins. Maintaining this balance in protein production, function and turnover is critical for lifelong health and to prevent disease in many different organisms including humans, animals and plants. These conserved protein quality control processes are coordinated across biological scale (from molecules, organelles, cells, and tissues, to the organismal level) and are critical to enable responses to physiological stress and stress-related cues. Failure in these quality control mechanisms can lead to toxic protein aggregation, such as that seen in Alzheimer's disease.
Dr Della David, senior group leader at the Babraham Institute and Network co-founder, commented: “It is increasingly apparent that a deeper understanding of proteostasis and how it can be leveraged is critical to tackle major challenges in health and food security. After seeing such an enthusiastic response to the creation of the Network, it is wonderful to have this support to connect proteostasis researchers across the UK to deliver this deeper understanding and accelerate discoveries in this crucial field of biology.”
The UK Proteostasis Network aims to bring together a diverse proteostasis research areas, roles and sectors, to connect, share and catalyse collaboration across the research and innovation ecosystem. The Network’s inaugural meeting was held at the Babraham Institute in May 2024 and brought together over 170 attendees, representing over 60 academic and commercial research groups from 46 organisations, from over 14 UK locations. This was followed by an exciting second event delivered in partnership with the Autophagy UK network in Dundee in June 2025.
Dr Ritwick Sawakar of the MRC Toxicology Unit and Professor Laura Itzhaki of the Department of Pharmacology have been deeply involved in the inception and organisation of this Network. Ritwick is currently one of the coordinators of the UK Proteostasis Network. Since its creation, the Network has connected 161 members, with a growing directory of research groups listed on the website.
The BBSRC Network Grant will be used to establish a national, cohesive and sustainable community at the forefront of international proteostasis research that will:
- Integrate the UK proteostasis community across geographical and research ‘silos’, maximising the UK’s capacity to be world-leading by sharing knowledge and accelerating the application of new or emerging technologies, such as engineering biology and AI, and supporting effective translation of research towards therapies.
- Address key societal challenges by applying knowledge of proteostasis adaptions across diverse life forms (mammals, Drosophila, C. elegans and plants) to enhance resilience and lifelong health.
- Strengthen the cohesion, international visibility and reputation of the UK Proteostasis community, including investment in early career researchers.
Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith, BBSRC Executive Chair, said: “By supporting the UK Proteostasis Network, BBSRC is investing in a growing community of researchers whose collective expertise will drive innovation, unlock new technologies and help address some of the most pressing challenges in health and food security. Networks contribute to BBSRC’s commitment to helping build a more interconnected research and innovation system and I’m delighted to see this community coming together and continuing to build the UK’s leadership in this rapidly evolving field.”
Dr Simon Cook, Director of the Babraham Institute and a member of the Network said: “Emerging technologies that target specific proteins for degradation provide new therapeutic horizons for disease. I see a huge amount of potential in combining our knowledge about protein quality control systems with novel synthetic biology approaches that leverage proteostasis mechanisms from other species. The diversity of knowledge across the Network is a defining factor in how this combined expertise can deliver benefits for everyone.”
The funding proposal was developed by the following leads and co-leads with support from community members:
- Della David, Project lead, Babraham Institute
- Simon Cook, Project co-lead, Babraham Institute
- Ari Sadanandom, Project co-lead, Durham University
- Colin Adrain, Project co-lead, Queen’s University, Belfast
- Bernadette Carroll, Project co-lead, University of Bristol.
Read the Babraham Institute article here: https://www.babraham.ac.uk/news/2025/07/uk-proteostasis-network-receives-bbsrc-network-grant