Human Specific Research Community North
Established to connect scientists across the North who share an interest in advancing human-specific research, the Human Specific Research Community North will provide a space for researchers to meet, connect, and build meaningful collaborations whilst ensuring their priorities and experiences are represented within the wider Human Specific Research Community.
The North community is supported by regional champions Dr Ethan Perkins at Bradford University, Dr Hannah Harrison at Manchester University, and Dr James Poulter at Leeds University, who are helping to shape its direction with their invaluable insights and knowledge of the research environment.
Join our Forum
A dedicated space for our Human Specific Research Community North exists – to ask questions, share knowledge and expertise, and connect with like-minded peers. Watch this community grow and advance human-focused research in your region. Register in a few simple steps or log in to join the conversation:
Our Launch Event
3 September 2026 | Norcroft Centre | University of Bradford
Thank you to everyone that joined us for our first Human Specific Research Community North event, which took place on 3 September 2026 at the University of Bradford. The North has a long history of innovation and practical problem-solving. Our free to attend launch event brought together researchers from across the region to spark knowledge exchange, inspire collaboration and drive innovation in human-specific research – laying the foundations for a connected and engaged regional community.
The program included:
- Expert Talks – showcasing outstanding human-specific research taking place across the North.
- Roundtables Discussions – An opportunity to connect with fellow researchers, build new connections and help shape the future of the community.
- The Impact Factor – A Dragon’s Den style pitching session, offering participants the chance to secure up to £6,000 to support their research project.
- The Match-Maker Networking – A dedicated networking session designed to help researchers connect, exchange ideas and develop meaningful new collaborations. To support the development of these partnerships, the Centre will offer a grant of up to £6,000 to support a new research collaboration that emerged from the event.
The Impact Factor Winner
Congratulations to Dr Anke Brüning-Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Biomedicine at the University of Huddersfield, who walked away from our North event with a £6000 grant for her project developing blood testing for early detection in recurrence of high grade brain tumours. These highly aggressive cancers have poor survival rates, making earlier detection critically important for improving patient outcomes.
To learn more about Anke’s project, her journey and why human specific research is so important to her, head to the North Regional Community channel on the Forum.
Funding Opportunity: Match-Maker
Funding Opportunity: Up to £6,000 | Duration: Up to 1 year
Our launch event provided an ideal setting for human-specific researchers across the North to connect, exchange knowledge and expertise, share resources, and identify opportunities for collaboration.
To help turn these connections into meaningful research partnerships, the Centre is offering a grant of up to £6,000 to support a new research collaboration that emerged from the community launch event. The funding is intended to enable researchers to develop shared ideas, build partnerships, and initiate collaborative research that strengthens the Regional North Community.
Application Deadline: Sunday 4 October 2026, 23:59 BST
We are delighted to announce CELLINK as our Exclusive Sponsor for the North
CELLINK partners with researchers across segments to deliver 3D cell culture solutions that drive scientific breakthroughs in drug discovery and translational medicine. By engaging in cutting-edge advancements in bioprinting, CELLINK is at the forefront of the shift towards 3D models.
Meet Our Champions
Dr Ethan Perkins
Based at the University of Bradford, Dr Perkins develops advanced in vitro cancer models and NAMs technologies.
Dr Hannah Harrison
Dr Harrison is a researcher at the University of Manchester, with her work focusing on breast cancer risk, prevention, and human breast models.
Dr James Poulter
Based at the University of Leeds, Dr Poulter’s research focuses on genomic medicine and rare neurodevelopmental disorders.
Meet our Speakers
We’re grateful to our speakers, who shared their invaluable expertise with the North community.
Dr Nicholas Peake
Dr Peake leads the bowel cancer research group in Sheffield, where his focus is on understanding the tumour microenvironment. His team develops and adapts a range of animal-free cell and tissue models in projects aimed at understanding the extracellular factors contributing to disease progression, treatment response and patient outcome.
Nick will speak about Putting humans at the centre of bowel cancer research: using surgical waste as an animal-free matrix for disease modelling.
Dr Ethan Perkins
Dr Perkins says: “As a passionate New Approach Methodologies PI and grant holder of a project funded by the Centre for Human Specific Research, it’s a privilege to discuss my team’s successes and challenges as we advance our transition to animal-free research across the laboratory.”
“The transition from traditional animal-derived methods for newer, animal-free methods can be a daunting and costly process, but it doesn’t have to be. Here we’ll discuss highs, lows and everything in between relating to Human Specific Research, with highlights from my research group’s switch to animal free alternatives.”
Dr James Poulter
Dr Poulter’s research advances understanding of rare inherited disorders by integrating genetics with disease-relevant cell and organoid models. This enables the identification and development of therapies, followed by preclinical testing to evaluate their potential effectiveness.
James will focus his talk on Identifying non-antibody protein binders (Affimers) against D-type Cyclins and is “delighted to be taking part in the North Regional Community Event and working with a growing community of researchers to develop more sustainable methods for scientific research.”
The Impact Factor Dragons
Meet our panel of Dragons – judges of the Dragon’s Den-style pitches that took place live on the day! Our shortlisted hopefuls pitched for the chance to secure a Regional Community Grant of up to £6,000 at the launch event. Here’s what the Dragons said before the event:
Dr Gemma Davies: Animal Replacement Dragon
Dr Liz Stewart: Commercial Dragon
Sarah Farrow: Community Dragon
Dr Hannah Harrison: Science Dragon
Dr Gemma Davies, Science Policy Advisor at Animal Free Research UK: “I’m excited to hear new ideas from researchers across the North and find out how this growing community is thinking differently about the way we do science. There’s huge potential here to build a collaborative group that can help take promising concepts further.”
Dr Liz Stewart, Senior Product Manager at Qkine: “As a scientist in academia then biotech and now commercial, I’m excited to meet and support emerging researchers, share my knowledge and talk about some cool new science!“
Sarah Farrow, Business Development Manager at Bitesize Bio: “It’s a privilege to be part of a community driving forward the amazing work in new approach methods, because when scientists connect and share, the impact grows exponentially.“
Dr Hannah Harrison, Group leader, Division of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester: “I’ll be looking for projects or ideas that are unusual and a bit risky but with potential to make a huge impact.”