Professor Richard Kitney calls for continued commitment to UK’s knowledge base ahead of IET Kelvin lecture 2014

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Institution of Engineering and Technology Prestige Lecture to address Synthetic biology

London, UK, 11 June 2014 – The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Kelvin Lecture 2014 is to chart the rapid advances that have been made in Synthetic Biology and highlight its importance to the UK economy. Being delivered by Richard Kitney, Professor of BioMedical Systems Engineering at Imperial College and a recognised leader in his field, the free-to-attend lecture is part of the IET Prestige Lecture Series and is being held at the Royal Institution in London on 17 June 2014. It also forms part of the London Technology Week, which is making its debut on June 16 – 20.

“The global value of the market for synthetic biology is expected to reach $10.8 billion in 2016, so the stakes are high,” said Professor Kitney. “With our strong science and technology base and many of the critical discoveries in DNA made in the UK, it is vital that this area of research continues to be backed by the Government and business leaders. Synthetic Biology promises to deliver significant economic and social benefits, and we must continue to build on the lead we have established.”

With the UK’s medical technology sector consisting of some 2,800 companies employing 52,000 people and generating around £10.6bn of turnover a year, Synthetic Biology represents a significant opportunity. It has been identified as one of the eight great technologies by the UK Government, and is ranked second in the top new technologies likely to have a major impact on the future global economy by the World Economic Forum. At the IET Kelvin lecture 2014, Professor Kitney will be charting the major milestones in the development of Synthetic Biology, and examine its applications in fields such as medicine vaccines, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and bioenergy materials.

“Our medical technology sector consists of some 2,800 companies employing 52,000 people and generating around £10.6bn of turnover a year, while the global value of the market for synthetic biology is expected to reach $10.8 billion in 2016, so the stakes are high,” said Professor Kitney. “To date the Government have been very supportive in funding synthetic biology. It is vital that the area continues to be backed by the UK Government and business leaders in the strongest way possible, as synthetic biology promises to deliver significant economic and social benefits now and in the future.”

Professor Kitney is Chairman of the Institute of Systems and Synthetic Biology and Co-Director of the EPSRC National Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation and the UK National Industrial Centre for Synthetic Biology – both based at Imperial College, London. He has published over 300 papers, and is a member of the British Government’s Ministerial Leadership Council for Synthetic Biology. As a recognised leader in the field, he was awarded The Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2001 for services to Information Technology in Biomedicine. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

The Kelvin lecture was set up to commemorate the life of three time IET president, Lord Kelvin who died in office in December 1907. The IET Prestige Lectures are free to attend events, offering the opportunity to hear about the future of engineering from the sector’s most prominent thought leaders. Delegates can also request a certificate if they wish to have evidence of their attendance for their CPD records. All the lectures are streamed live as webcasts and are available to watch on demand at IET.tv. Registration for the Kelvin lecture is through the IET’s website: www.theiet.org/kelvin

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