LIFE, the Health and Biosciences Research Institute at TUS, will develop an integrated approach to understanding the connection between health and bioscience and will apply new knowledge to improving health and wellness.
The research focus will include ‘Lifelong Health’ including the mechanistic basis of healthy ageing, using our research expertise in human, microbial and cellular systems to develop novel products and approaches to improve lifestyle and health. The LIFE Research Institute will also focus on ‘Nutrition for Health’ in understanding how foods, nutrients and diet influence cellular processes and affect overall health.
The structure of the proposed Institute is designed to nurture a vibrant life sciences research ecosystem which will enable fluidity of scientific talent between well-established research centres and groups namely Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre (SABC), Chimera, CELLS. This will enhance the responsiveness of the Institute to bioscience and health challenges as the need and opportunities arise.
Our research expertise in health & biosciences will be applied to the bio-discovery and bioprospecting of High Value Compounds (HVC) from natural resources including plants, fungi and algae. The application of these HVC in health and cancer biology, health and wellness and sports science & performance will be central. The HVCs will be incorporated into food products as novel food ingredients in addition to their development as biopharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical products. In the production, extraction, purification and characterisation of these HVCs, the LIFE Institute will continue to develop and apply state of the art processes and techniques in analytical science, nanotechnology, food biotechnology, microbial biotechnology, medical microbiology, medical technology, controlled environmental life science, cell tissue culture and diagnostics.
By ‘Delivering Today while Preparing for Tomorrow’ our institute strategy will be to meet the current health challenges and to position ourselves to take advantage of future opportunities. We will promote open science for ‘everyone’ delivering ‘science for society’ and ‘science for the economy’ broadening inclusivity and ensure our discoveries are accessible to all.