Log in
The literature of the Victorian era has an enduring popular interest, as evidenced by the plethora of film and television adaptations of novels and authors' biographies. Though this popularization has brought Victorian literature to the foreground, there is a need for the public to be better informed about this literature. Members of the English UOA are engaged in research into Victorian literature and have drawn on this research to help members of the public gain better understanding and deeper appreciation of this literature. They have achieved this through public lectures, seminars, and poetry readings, as well as at events organized through links fostered with local galleries.
Textile-heritage research at the University of Leeds has informed and improved public awareness and understanding of textile heritages among target audiences, especially school children, community groups, volunteers, interns and teachers. Through hands-on workshops, conventional publications, talks and lectures, a strong website presence and public exhibitions, the research has engaged and inspired audiences, and has underpinned a `best practice' resource for other museums and archives. Impact is demonstrated through direct feedback from workshop participants, evidence of community engagement, commentary in the visitors' book, website hits, and also from accreditations, awards and endorsements from key national arts organisations in recognition of initiatives enhancing public appreciation of textile heritages.
This case demonstrates the impact of collaborative research undertaken at the University of Leeds with regard to the role of intellectual property (IP) in the technosciences. It has shed new light on historical resources and helped to deepen public understanding of IP. In the Thackray Medical Museum and Oxford Museum of the History of Science, curators, educators and exhibition designers have benefited from Gooday's work on the history of patenting in electrical technology, enabling more effective interpretation of their collections. At the National Institute for Agricultural Botany, research undertaken within Radick's `expanded IP' framework is being used to strengthen the Institute's position and importance.
Leeds research on religions in contexts of migration and diaspora has effected improvements in representation and public understanding of religion in Britain. Key areas are: (a) high-profile public debates, where we have shifted assumptions about religious communities in Britain; (b) national museums, where we have enabled new ways of representing religions in diaspora, and advanced engagement with minority communities; (c) schools, where we have developed educational resources on the complex trajectories of communities in diaspora. The impact occurred between 2009 and 2012, drawing on research from 1993 onwards (Knott, McLoughlin, Tomalin), and a 35-year record of research with religious communities.
A new class of synthetic self-assembling peptides has been developed at Leeds into a product that allows the enamel in the dental cavities to be regenerated. The peptides assemble to form gels that have been shown to be promising biocompatible materials with applications in regenerative medicine, for example in the regeneration of bone. Credentis AG (Switzerland) was founded in January 2010 to commercialise the technology in the dental care domain. Its first product Curodont™ Repair - the first product of its kind in dental care - has completed first-in-man safety trials (also at Leeds); has received regulatory approval for clinical use in Switzerland, Europe and Australia; and was launched in Switzerland and Germany in Q1/2013. The product has tremendous promise because most adults suffer from dental caries which often go untreated because of patients' fear of the dental drill. A second product Curodont™ Protect, approved in April 2013 and regulated as a cosmetic, has been launched in 2013 for the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity. Credentis has established a UK base in Leeds and has engaged a UK company as distributor of its products from October 2013.
Professor Stephen Russell's fundamental and applied research on the formation, structure and properties of nonwoven fabrics has directly led to the creation and continued success of the Nonwovens Innovation and Research Institute (NIRI) Ltd a University of Leeds spin-out company. Formed in 2005 to exploit Russell's research, NIRI has grown annual sales revenue to ~£1 million supplying products and services that have enabled many medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and global public limited companies (PLCs) to launch improved or new products, growing their market share and positively impacting consumers. Additionally, the research has enabled NIRI to independently establish and co-fund new commercial joint ventures that have resulted in the development of new IP (intellectual property)-protected products for improving global health and security. NIRI has grown its workforce to twenty (mainly University graduates) and has been profitable from the first year of trading.
More than 6.5 billion people worldwide use mobile phones, and identification of any associated health risks is of vital importance to global public health. Researchers at Leeds have had a central role in the design, scientific direction, conduct, and dissemination of Interphone, the largest and most comprehensive case-control study of mobile phone use, which showed that mobile phone use is not associated with an increased risk of brain tumours. Interphone, for which Leeds was the largest study centre from 13 countries, along with a concurrently run UK North study, has made a major contribution to government policy recommendations, international exposure guidelines for non-ionising radiation, and international assessment of carcinogenicity.
Research at the University of Leeds has underpinned the company Lhasa Ltd. which has made widely available the toxicity prediction software currently known as Derek Nexus. The use of Derek Nexus by large pharmaceutical companies to support drug development is effectively universal. Toxicology prediction software has led to changes in guidelines issued by regulatory authorities and to industry-wide changes to the investigation of the toxicity of trace impurities. These changes have reduced the resources needed for experimental investigation of toxicity, and have increased revenues derived from launched drugs by extending their patent period of exclusivity. Lhasa Ltd. derives income in support of its charitable aims from Derek Nexus , and a related product Meteor Nexus (Meteor) also based on research undertaken in Leeds. The company reported revenues over £5.4M in 2012 and employs 71 highly qualified staff.
Spatial models developed from research in the School of Geography about population movements in cities are informing commercial planning and public policy analysis. The conduit for this impact is GMAP Ltd., a spin-out company established by the University of Leeds, which has used the models as the basis for its MicroVision and RetailVision software. Companies including Ford, Exxon, HBoS and Asda-Walmart have used this software for a range of purposes including maximizing individual stores' profitability and reconfiguring entire networks to fit changing market conditions. Government agencies have also used the software to optimize resource allocation in policing, education and healthcare.
Eculizumab has transformed quality of life and life expectancy for patients with PNH and led to major economic impacts with global drug sales of $1,134 million in 2012 and to Alexion Pharmaceuticals being worth over $19 billion. PNH is a disabling blood disorder that was previously fatal in 50% of patients but with eculizumab survival is comparable to the normal population as well as returning patients to having a normal quality of life. Research in Leeds led to the introduction of eculizumab in 2007. Eculizumab is now approved for clinical use in over 40 countries and for another life threatening disease, atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome.