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The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)
The partnership, signed by the University of Oxford, Université Paris Cité, the Institut Pasteur, Diamond Light Source and Synchrotron SOLEIL, comes at a time when advances in science and technology are generating unprecedented amounts of biological and clinical data and transforming understanding of human health. But turning that information into faster diagnoses, better treatments and improved disease prevention remains a major challenge across disciplines, institutions and national systems.
The new UK-France Strategic Interdisciplinary Alliance in Health and AI (Health Alliance) has been established to help bridge those gaps by connecting world-leading expertise and national infrastructure that are rarely integrated within a single collaboration.
Leading the Alliance work on behalf of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, Professor Philippe Guérin said the partnership would allow researchers to “understand how infections develop, spread and respond to treatment” by combining “advanced imaging, data and biological science” in new ways.
Professor Guérin added that bringing together “the technology of two of the world’s most powerful synchrotrons, with the world’s greatest research minds” would help researchers study disease “at an unprecedented level of detail”, driving “innovation in diagnostics and therapies” while strengthening preparedness for future health threats worldwide.
The Health Alliance combines discovery research, clinical expertise, advanced imaging and large-scale data science at national scale. The collaboration brings together Oxford’s strengths in basic science, structural biology, infectious diseases, translational medicine and global health data science; Université Paris Cité’s interdisciplinary health research capabilities; the Institut Pasteur’s leadership in infectious diseases and pathogen biology; and the advanced imaging infrastructure of the UK’s Diamond Light Source and France’s Synchrotron SOLEIL.
Professor Richard Cornall, Head of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, described the partnership as creating “a powerful UK-France capability for biomedical innovation” by combining “leading expertise in AI, advanced imaging and biomedical science to better understand, predict and treat complex disease”.
The alliance will initially focus on women’s health, pandemic preparedness, and surveillance of pathogenic threats and antimicrobial resistance.
Women’s health research will include conditions that remain underdiagnosed or poorly understood, such as endometriosis and pregnancy-related complications. Catherine Deneux, Co-Director of iWISH at Université Paris Cité, said the partnership would combine “the most powerful technology and world-leading researchers in all disciplines” to “fight for women’s health and to combat infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance”.
The collaboration also aims to strengthen understanding of emerging infectious diseases and improve resilience against future health threats through closer integration of imaging, biological science and global health data.
Matthieu Resche-Rigon, Dean of the Faculty of Health at Université Paris Cité, characterised the initiative as “a truly interdisciplinary alliance” bringing together “scientists, clinicians, public health experts, social scientists, innovators and policymakers to tackle some of the greatest health challenges of our time”.
The partnership between Diamond Light Source and Synchrotron SOLEIL will support the development of next-generation imaging approaches capable of transforming how researchers study infection, immunity and disease progression.
Professor Gianluigi Botton, Chief Executive of Diamond Light Source, described the collaboration as “an exciting step forward in harnessing the full potential of advanced synchrotron imaging, data and AI in healthcare”, while Doctor Jean Susini, Director General of Synchrotron SOLEIL, highlighted the role the partnership would play in supporting “the development of innovative diagnostic strategies”.
The collaboration will also strengthen international research capability in infectious diseases and pathogen surveillance, building on the Institut Pasteur’s longstanding expertise in infectious disease science and Oxford’s strengths in translational medicine and global health data science.
Doctor Odette Tomescu-Hatto, Executive Vice-President of International Affairs at the Institut Pasteur, said the alliance demonstrated how scientific breakthroughs emerge “at the intersection of disciplines, expertise, and international partnerships”.
The Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Alliance was signed at the Executive Committee (COMEX) meeting in France this week, marking a major new chapter in scientific collaboration between the UK and France.