All change at King's Cross

Despite the U.K.'s long record of producing world-class medical science, the country hasn't had the success of Boston or the Bay Area in converting that into products or companies that can drive a robust biotech ecosystem. Six of London's major research institutes have now come together with an investment of about £650 million ($937 million) to form the Francis Crick Institute - a biomedical discovery institute focused on translational science.

BioCentury sat down with David Roblin, COO and director of scientific translation at The Crick, who thinks the institute can be an agent of change, and wants it to become a major player in translational research that can help put U.K. science high on the list for investors. But he also sees the U.K. as part of a "European powerhouse of science" and says like most of the country's scientific leadership, in the "Brexit" debate about whether the country should withdraw from the EU, he favors remaining...