Professor David Tollervey, Director Wellcome Centre for Cell Biology

The research groups comprising the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology occupy the Michael Swann Building on the Kings Building Campus of Edinburgh University. The Swann Building was constructed in the mid 1990s as a purpose built centre for research in molecular cell biology. Major contributions were made by the Darwin Trust, the Wellcome Trust, the Wolfson Foundation and the University of Edinburgh. From the start, the aim of the Centre was to attract outstanding cell biologist from outwith the University, and this remains our philosophy. Since 2001 the researchers working together in the Swann Building have collectively been recognised as the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, with core funding provided by the Wellcome Trust. This funding was recently renewed for the 5-year period from October 1st 2011, and at that time I took over responsibility as Centre Director. The Centre had previously been directed since its inception by Prof. Adrian Bird. Much of the notable success that the Centre is currently enjoying can be attributed to Adrian's influence and inspiration – and we owe him a substantial debt of gratitude.

The world-class researchers working in the Centre are answering fundamental questions relating to cellular function. In particular, we aim to understand the macromolecular assemblies that support chromosome segregation and cell division, the organisation of the flow of genetic information from DNA through RNA and the control of cell growth. The core of our work is hypothesis-driven research, with groups applying a wide range of different techniques to the problems analysed; these include microscopy, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, mass spectrometry, structural biology, high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics. In any single project, many or all of these different approaches may be applied as appropriate and a great strength of the Centre is it facilitates this process by making advanced technology and expertise available to all groups.

Basic knowledge about how human cells function is crucial for any detailed understanding of development or disease. Most work within the Centre is not directed towards curing a particular medical condition. However, the insights into the basic mechanisms of cell growth, replication and metabolism that the Wellcome Trust Centre provides is helping underpin more applied analyses directed to specific health problems. The expertise and infrastructure available within the Wellcome Centre have been proven to offer the possibility of combining multiple, cutting edge techniques to attack key problems in cell biology and link these to human health.