The University of Westminster is launching the Westminster Centre for Gene Editors of the Future, which will be the UK’s first gene editing centre connecting cutting-edge research with inclusive future-ready education.
The Centre will build understanding among researchers of all levels of one of the most fundamental issues of life – how gene editing can help treat genetic diseases like cancer by detecting and correcting faulty genes to treat inherited conditions.
It will work with a number of high-profile partner institutions including Queen Mary University of London, Royal Holloway, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Connecting Science, the Quintin Hogg Trust and international partners in Kazakhstan, Netherlands, India and Switzerland.
The Centre builds on five years of gene editing work at the University and the enthusiasm of students for the hugely successful award-winning Gene Editors of the Future programme, led by Dr Kalpana Surendranath who was recognised with a National Teaching Fellowship by Advance HE for her work in 2025. The programme has hosted hundreds of events including workshops, short courses, international conferences and symposiums, linking academia to research and business, and driving understanding and expertise in this crucial area. It has built interdisciplinary partnerships and involved undergraduates, research fellows and academics from the University and beyond.
The Gene Editors of the Future programme focuses on the use of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), a technology that research scientists use to specifically modify the DNA of living organisms. Heavily influenced by the inclusive culture of the University of Westminster, it became the first non-sporting group in 2025 to use the University’s Dragons ethos.
The Centre will amplify this model by pairing research and educational excellence with a strong culture of community, leadership and belonging.
The programme was established in 2019 at the University’s Genome Engineering Laboratory with support from the Quintin Hogg Trust. It has turned the scientifically intense life-changing work into progressively evolving innovative and creative formats that enhance the student engagement and experience. To date, over 1000 University of Westminster students have taken part in the free extracurricular and co-curricular opportunity offered by the School of Life Sciences.
Dr Surendranath, Director and Founder of the Gene Editors of the Future programme, said: “This is a hugely exciting moment for the University that builds on a legacy of success for the Gene Editors of the Future programme. The Westminster Centre for Gene Editors of the Future will provide a platform to advance this work further, inspiring the wider community across our institution and beyond.
“The Centre will also extend our reach, cultivate new strategic collaborations and enable scaling this work while championing the achievements that underpin our collective success and contribute to Being Westminster.”
Professor Peter Bonfield, Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Westminster, said: “The formal establishment of this new Centre reflects the nationally leading and internationally renowned endeavours that Dr Kalpana, her close colleagues and of course our brilliant and curious Gene Editors students have built since 2020. They combine research excellence with leading-edge practices and techniques, alongside inspiring and excellent knowledge exchange, all in our wonderful inclusive and progressive Westminster way. Congratulations to all involved and now an even brighter future beckons.”
The Westminster Centre for Gene Editors of the Future directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Learn more about the Gene Editors of the Future programme at the University of Westminster.
