July 2024 Issue
Our bicentenary isn’t the only anniversary we celebrate this year: we’re also marking the foundation of the medical school and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), as well as the isolation of wonder material graphene.
Training doctors for 200 years
Manchester has a long history of providing world leading medical and dental education to future medical professionals.
Now part of the School of Medical Sciences in the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, the original medical school evolved from one of several institutions that opened in the city in 1824. In 1836 it merged to become the Manchester Royal School of Medicine and Surgery before combining with Owens College in 1880 to make up the new Victoria University.
From 1874, the medical school was based on Coupland Street, while clinical teaching took place at Manchester Royal Infirmary, before moving to Oxford Road in 1908. The medical school followed in the 1940s.
Breaking barriers and making an impact
Notable alumni include Catherine Chisholm CBE who, in 1904, became the first female student to qualify as a doctor and went on to found the Manchester Hospital for Babies.
Sir John Charnley, who pioneered hip replacement surgery, graduated in medicine from the Victoria University in 1935. Sir Netar Mallick, who introduced kidney dialysis machines for local patients experiencing renal failure, is also an alumnus. Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer for England between 2010 and 2019, received her Bachelor’s from the medical school in 1972.
Medical School, 1908
The UK’s largest medical school
Victoria University merged with UMIST to form The University of Manchester in 2004 and the medical school became part of the current School of Medical Sciences in 2016, expanding its remit to train not just doctors, but also dentists, dental hygienists and physician associates.
It has since grown to accommodate more than 4,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, and 2,000 staff. Manchester is now the biggest provider of healthcare graduates to the NHS in the north-west.
“200 years of the medical school is an enormous occasion to celebrate. Manchester received its original charter to provide doctors for the north-west and has grown into the largest medical school in the UK, with graduates now practising across the world,” says Professor Tony Heagerty, Head of the School of Medical Sciences.
“Our teaching is constantly evolving; team-based learning is rolling out in the early years of the curriculum. We are also starting a graduate entry programme for medicine, introducing more simulation and creating a virtual study environment.”
"WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT 200 YEARS OF DISCOVERY AND MEDICAL ADVANCEMENTS, WITH MANCHESTER IN THE VANGUARD."
Driving medical research and advancement
Today the medical school is internationally-recognised for its research in a wide range of areas, including cardiology, developmental biology, immunity and inflammation, and cancer.
With £30 million in annual research income, the school is supported by charity funders including Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, and makes an impact in the UK and overseas through collaborations with universities and other institutions.
“We look forward to the next 200 years of discovery and medical advancements, with Manchester in the vanguard,” Professor Heagerty says.
UMIST to ID Manchester: an evolution in innovation
The former University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) traces its roots back to 1824, when it was established as the Manchester Mechanics’ Institute (MMI) with the aim of educating working men as part of a national movement.
The MMI provided basic science teaching to artisans who had little experience of formal education, before John Henry Reynolds refocused its offerings on technical education later in the century. It became the Manchester Technical School in 1883, moving into the purpose-built Sackville Street Building in 1902. Further changes in name and direction came in the wake of both World Wars and rapid industrial expansion in the 1960s. It became known as UMIST in 1966 and achieved autonomous university status in 1994, awarding its own degrees until the merger with the Victoria University in 2004.
Science and engineering education continued in and around Sackville Street until the early 21st century, when it relocated to Oxford Road with new purpose-built facilities, including the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (now the Nancy Rothwell Building) and the National Graphene Institute.
Nancy Rothwell Building
A new era
Now, with plans to turn the old UMIST buildings into Sister (formerly ID Manchester), Manchester’s new £1.7bn innovation district – via a partnership between the University and Bruntwood SciTech, this part of Manchester is set to see another evolution.
The area will house offices, studios, labs and shops, as well as more than 1,500 homes and nine acres of public space. The project will create 10,000 new jobs, apprenticeships and training opportunities, giving a new lease of life to this part of the city.
Later in 2024 the Brutalist Renold Building – originally constructed in 1962 as the UK’s first building comprising only of lecture theatres and seminar rooms – will be turned into an innovation hub for researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses in the biotechnology, digital technology, health, advanced materials and manufacturing sectors.
“We’re building our innovation ecosystem from the ground up,” says John Holden, the University’s Associate Vice-President for Major Special Projects and Executive Committee Member for ID Manchester.
“The Renold Building will accelerate the growth of our city’s most promising entrepreneurs, SMEs and University spin-outs, and provide the spaces and opportunities to allow our local communities to participate, experience and benefit from innovation too.”
UMIST to ID Manchester: an evolution in innovation
2024 marks two decades since Sirs Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov isolated graphene, the 2D wonder material. The discovery – made during an informal experiment with a piece of sticky tape that removed thin flakes of material from graphite – sparked an explosion of activity, as researchers and businesses around the world investigated graphene’s potential applications.
A material with endless possibilities
Graphene’s appeal lies in its strength and flexibility – it is a single atom thick. While it repels water, graphene conducts electricity and heat, opening it up for a multitude of uses. Today, researchers are looking at how it can be used to reduce carbon output across a range of sectors, from aerospace and automotive, to construction, and food and drink.
Another area of research is the development of graphene and other 2D material membranes to be used as a filtration system. Professor Rahul R Nair is a specialist in this area and his work includes developing membranes that can be used to desalinate seawater, to create an extra source of drinking water for millions of people globally.
Dr Qian Yang is using graphene-based nanocapillaries to understand if we can harness the energy stored in water from raindrops. This research has the potential to help create a new form of renewable energy, revolutionising sustainable living.
Sirs Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov
A team of Manchester scientists are also using graphene to develop a lithium-free energy-storage solution. Long-term energy storage is key to supporting the low-carbon energy transition. HalioGEN Power – a spin-out founded by Manchester Professor Robert Dryfe with research associates Dr Lewis Le Fevre, Dr Andinet Aynalem and Dr Athanasios Stergiou – has created technology with the potential to store energy generated by renewables for longer, without using critical raw materials.
These projects and others, including graphene-enhanced concrete to reduce carbon emissions, and lightweight cars and planes that use less fuel, are part of a growing wave of research that could bring graphene into everyday use.
“We’re on the cusp of a tipping point, and over the next 20 years we’ll see graphene and 2D move from being novel to materials that change the way we live our lives,” explains James Baker, Chief Executive of Graphene@Manchester.
“To support a more circular economy, we’ll see 2D materials sourced from waste products like methane CO2. We’ll also see them used to revolutionise healthcare, from treating brain disorders to enabling new forms of drug delivery that can detect the early stages of disease.
“The capabilities of graphene and 2D materials will not only be established within our every-day products and applications, but change the quality of our lives, helping to ensure healthier and more sustainable futures.”
Listen to Professor Sir Andre Geim in conversation as part of the Cockcroft Rutherford series.