A zebrafish, one of the organisms used in biomedical research.
© Wellcome Library, London

Click on the list below and you will find answers to frequently asked questions.

If you have any other questions, please email info@crick.ac.uk.

1. What research will you do?

   The Institute will bring together scientists from leading biomedical research organisations to develop new treatments for illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and stroke, infections, and neurodegenerative diseases that affect families in the UK and around the world.

   The roots of these and all diseases lie in the altered functioning of cells or the way they interact within the body. Developing a better understanding of biological processes in health will help us understand why disease develops and how it might be treated.

   Progress in biomedical research is rapid, so The Francis Crick Institute’s research programme will not be defined in detail until closer to its opening in 2015. For more information about research currently please visit the websites for the National Institute for Medical Research, the London Research Institute, the Wellcome Trust and UCL, Imperial College London and King's College London.

2. What jobs will be available?

   As well as developing the careers of exceptional scientists, The Francis Crick Institute will play a key role in the local community.

   During construction, at least 40 apprenticeships with the contractor, Laing O’Rourke, will be on offer to young people who live in Camden.

   When the Institute is fully operational there will be approximately 1,250 scientific jobs and 250 support roles, including jobs and careers in IT, engineering, laboratory support, maintenance and security. The Francis Crick Institute is in discussions with London's authorities on providing skills training for local residents in advance of the Institute opening. This will be in addition to the investment and training that will be provided for those associated with the construction.

3. Why are you building at St Pancras and Somers Town?

   The vision for The Francis Crick Institute is to create a new world-class research centre that will enable London and the UK to stay at the forefront of medical research for decades to come. The site is amid an exceptional cluster of medical research expertise in hospitals and academic institutions located in Camden.

   The Institute will incorporate scientists from the MRC's National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill, Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute (based at Lincoln's Inn Fields and South Mimms), UCL (University College London), Imperial College London and King's College London.

   In the last decade, it has become clear that progress in biomedical science requires scientists from different disciplines in biology to work together with physicists, chemists, mathematicians and engineers. Biomedical scientists also need to have easy access to hospitals and clinical facilities.

   The Francis Crick Institute will achieve this integrated and innovative way of working through the design of the Institute, its location at St Pancras, its partnership with leading universities, and the superb transport facilities that will allow easy access to leading UK and international research centres and commercial enterprises.

4. What public facilities will there be?

   The Francis Crick Institute will carry out public engagement and community support as part of its vision, including a volunteering scheme.  Facilities to support this work include an auditorium, exhibition space and a teaching laboratory available for public use.

   The Francis Crick Institute is working with a group of Somers Town residents and representatives of health and community organisations to decide how the community facility, known as the Living Centre, at the Ossulston Street side of the building will operate.

5. How will The Francis Crick Institute benefit young people?

   The Francis Crick Institute will work with local schools and community youth groups to help foster enthusiasm about science and medicine and to inspire students, preparing them for the exciting jobs of tomorrow.

   Schools outreach work will be decided nearer the time of the opening of the Institute. This will include using the teaching laboratories in the building to update teachers and students on the latest scientific understanding and techniques.

6. What about dirt and dust from construction?

   This will be kept to the absolute minimum. The project will comply with statutory requirements and good practice including the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

   Ultimately, the construction process should create no more dust and noise than a commercial development of comparable size.

   Local residents with construction enquiries may call us free on: 0808 165 0180 (24 hours a day) or email projectinfo@laingorourke.com.

7. Will construction be 24 hours a day?

   No. Construction times are 8.00am to 6.00pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. The site is closed on Sundays.

   If there is an exceptional need to carry out a piece of work during unsocial periods then local residents will be kept informed. There will be regular meetings with local residents to ensure they are aware of progress during construction.

   Local residents with construction enquiries may call us free on: 0808 165 0180 (24 hours a day) or email projectinfo@laingorourke.com.

8. How long will construction take?

   The outside of the building will take about two years to complete and the internal fitting-out work will take another two years. Construction work started in early summer 2011, so the building should be finished by 2015.

9. Once the building is operating, will there be more noise?

   There are strict regulations governing noise levels for the site. The Francis Crick Institute will fully comply with these requirements.

10. What will pollution levels from the building be like?

    There are strict environmental regulations governing flue emissions. The building is being carefully designed to ensure that emissions are at acceptable levels.  It will abide by the UK's strict guidelines to ensure peace of mind for local residents and The Francis Crick Institute staff.

11. What safety and security facilities will there be?

    The Francis Crick Institute is planning to continue the world-leading research into influenza, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV currently being carried out at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR).

    This will represent a small but important part of the work of the Institute. Flu research saves thousands of lives each year — for example through the design of vaccines — and helps ensure the UK is robustly protected.

    All of the Institute’s work will be carried out at the appropriate level of containment in state-of-the-art custom-designed laboratories.

    Central London and the borough of Camden already accommodate many secure laboratories in hospitals and university buildings. Such laboratories are common and essential facilities in modern medical research, and are very safe.

    Samples used in our research will be transported securely and safely according to strict criteria defined by the United Nations. These transport arrangements are no less stringent than those followed daily by hospitals throughout London and are regarded as extremely robust.

    The founders' scientists and technicians are extremely experienced in ensuring the safe study of viruses. NIMR has worked at its Mill Hill site for 60 years, and has an exemplary safety record as has Cancer Research UK’s LRI, which has been based at Lincoln’s Inn Fields for many years. The Francis Crick Institute is confident that this record will be maintained in the new laboratories.

    Containment Levels

    Organisms that can cause human or animal disease are placed into one of four Hazard Groups according to the hazard they present. The measures adopted by laboratories to work with these organisms safely are called Containment Levels. Containment Level 1 is minimum risk.

    Malaria, tuberculosis and HIV are assigned to Hazard Group 3 so must be studied in a Containment Level 3 laboratory.

    Seasonal flu, to which many people are exposed each year, is assigned to Hazard Group 2. The H5N1 strain (‘bird flu’) requires precautions above those required for members of Hazard Group 3, and we refer to these precautions as Containment Level 3+.

    All laboratories and working practices are regulated by the Health and Safety Executive and are checked with rigorous and regular inspections.

    For Containment Level 3, the following conditions apply.

    • Laboratories are secure and accessible only through an airlock.
    • Flooring and benches are impervious to water and resistant to chemicals.
    • Laboratories are under negative pressure such that air flows in from clean areas and is extracted to the atmosphere through special high efficiency particulate air filters.
    • Work is carried out in safety cabinets to protect workers and the environment.
    • All waste is treated before it leaves the area either by heat or a suitable disinfectant.
    • Written management procedures are required.
    • Staff must be properly trained.
    • Procedures are required to deal with any foreseeable emergency.

    Containment Level 3+ requires that walls as well as floor and benching should be impervious, that the laboratories are under higher negative pressure, and that heat treatment is applied to all liquid and solid waste including shower water. Certain work is required to be carried out in closed safety cabinets, and workers are subject to higher standards of training and more frequent assessments.

12. Will you be doing research involving animals?

    Animals are essential in a number of areas of biomedical research, medicine development and safety testing. They are necessary to understand the body in health and disease, and to develop new and improved medical treatments.

    However, research involving animals is not undertaken lightly. Both the potential scientific and medical benefits of the research, and the possible effect on the animals used, are weighed up carefully before any animal research project can proceed. Research involving animals is regulated by the Home Office and may only be carried out under licence.

    Almost all The Francis Crick Institute research involving animals will use mice, rats, fish, frogs, fruit flies, or nematode worms. Where other animals are used, it is because they offer the best model for particular human diseases.

    For example, current research on flu uses ferrets, because they are susceptible to the strains of flu that infect humans: it causes similar symptoms and it runs a similar course. The swine flu pandemic of 2009 caused 14,286 confirmed deaths worldwide.

    All the partners are committed to the principles of 'the 3Rs' — reducing the numbers of animals used, replacing them where possible and refining experiments to reduce the numbers and involvement of animals.