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National Institute for Medical Research

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Coordinates: 51°37′03″N 0°13′11″W / 51.6175°N 0.2198°W / 51.6175; -0.2198
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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
Members240 scientists
Director
Prof Jim Smith
Parent organization
Medical Research Council (MRC)
AffiliationsBBSRC, WHO, NHS, Dstl
WebsiteArchived

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);

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 Committee was set up in 1913 under the 1911 National Insurance Act.[1] In 1914 it acquired premises for its research on the site of the Mount Vernon Hospital, in Hampstead, London.[1] The outbreak of World War I set back plans for its conversion into a research institute, and it became first the Hampstead Military Hospital and later the Central Hospital for Flying Officers.[2] In 1920, it became the National Institute for Medical Research, which remained there until it moved to Mill Hill in 1950.[1]

The original institute, under the directorship of Sir Henry Dale, had three divisions:[2]

Dale oversaw a period of considerable success at NIMR, including the discovery of the human influenza virus in 1933,[3] and the discovery of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, for which Dale himself received the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.[4]

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 1937 construction began on new premises for the NIMR at Mill Hill, north London. The main building was designed by Maxwell Ayrton, architect of the original Wembley Stadium.[5] Use of the building was delayed by the outbreak of World War Two, and the building was used by the Women's Royal Naval Service instead.[5] The building was returned to the NIMR towards the end of 1949, and was officially opened on 5 May 1950 by King George VI.[5]

NIMR lab technicians in 1950

Sir Henry Dale had retired in 1942 and was succeeded by Sir Charles Harington as the new director from 1942 to 1962.[5] Harington expanded the research programme into ten divisions during his 20-year tenure,[5] and guided researchers at the institute to, amongst other achievements, the development of gas chromatography and the discovery of interferon.[6] From 1950 to 1954 Albert Neuberger was Head of Biochemistry at the institute.[7]

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.[5] 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.[5] Sir Dai Rees became director in 1982 to be replaced by Sir John Skehel in 1987.[5]

2000 to 2015

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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."[8][9] University College London was selected as a preferred partner institution, and a nearby site in central London was acquired.[10]

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."[11][12]

In September 2006, Skehel retired as NIMR director[13] and Sir Keith Peters became acting director[14] 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.[15] According to Blakemore, negotiations were ongoing as of December 2006.[9] 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.[5]

Move to Francis Crick Institute

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On 1 April 2015, the NIMR became part of the new Francis Crick Institute[16] and ceased to exist as a separate MRC institute. The site at Mill Hill was fully vacated and closed for redevelopment during 2017.[5]

In 2018 demolition of the building began, to make way for new homes.[17]

Activities

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Mill Hill Essays

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A yearly collection of essays was produced by guest authors and staff at the institute, under the title Mill Hill Essays.[18] They are written to be accessible and informative to the lay reader.[18]

Notable staff

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Bryder, Linda (August 2011). "The Medical Research Council and clinical trial methodologies before the 1940s: the failure to develop a 'scientific' approach". Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. 104 (8): 335–343. doi:10.1258/jrsm.2011.11k021. PMC 3150094. PMID 21816933. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b Porterfield, J. S. (1995). "Famous Institutions in Virology: The National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill" (PDF). Archives of Virology. 140. Springer Science+Business Media: 1329–1336. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  3. ^ Bresalier, Michael (15 December 2011). "Uses of a Pandemic: Forging the Identities of Influenza and Virus Research in Interwar Britain". Social History of Medicine. 25 (2): 400–424. doi:10.1093/shm/hkr162. PMC 7313770. PMID 34191895. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  4. ^ Tansey, E. M. (2006). "Henry Dale and the discovery of acetylcholine" (PDF). Comptes Rendus Biologies. 329. French Academy of Sciences: 419–425. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR)". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  6. ^ Brown, Phyllida (20 October 2006). "NIMR Awaits the Final Verdict". Cell. 127 (2): 235–237. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2006.10.006. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  7. ^ Allen, A. K.; Muir, H. M. (2001). "Albert Neuberger. 15 April 1908 -- 14 August 1996: Elected F.R.S. 1951". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 47: 369–382. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2001.0021. PMID 15124648. S2CID 72943723.
  8. ^ "Medical Research Council - NIMR Renewal". Medical Research Council. Archived from the original on 31 October 2006. Retrieved 21 December 2006.
  9. ^ a b "Page cannot be found". Archived from the original on 16 December 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  10. ^ Haverty, Amanda (19 November 2003). "Irish science funds flow again". The Scientist. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  11. ^ "The Scientist :: NIMR inquiry criticizes MRC, Feb. 8, 2005". Archived from the original on 26 November 2005.
  12. ^ "House of Commons - Science and Technology - Fourth Report". parliament.uk.
  13. ^ "NIMR, London :: News :: 2006". Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  14. ^ "National Institute for Medical Research, London :: Organisation structure". Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  15. ^ "NIMR update". 30 May 2014.
  16. ^ "A new name for UKCMRI". crick.ac.uk. The Francis Crick Institute. 25 May 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  17. ^ Jones, Nick (9 April 2018). "Demolition eats away at local landmark". The Barnet Society. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  18. ^ a b "Mill Hill Essays | MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London". Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  19. ^ 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.
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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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