Rajarshi Mukherjee

When did your Fellowship start and how long will it last?

June 2025 for 5 years.

What were you doing prior to your Fellowship.

I was a substantive NHS Consultant and held the Dr. Ronald Finn Senior Research Fellowship with the University of Liverpool.

Why did you choose this Fellowship Programme?

This is a truly unique and forward-thinking scheme that not only supports the leap towards academic independence but also creates powerful connections with industry - an increasingly recognised essential ingredient for impactful translational research. At its core is the opportunity to gain hands-on expertise in cutting-edge drug discovery methods, driven by the latest advances in AI and machine learning. With my research rooted in translational drug discovery and a strong track record of academic–industrial collaborations, this fellowship is the perfect launchpad. It enables me to elevate my existing skills to a new level of expertise while laying the foundation for building a dynamic research team for the future.

What is the aim of your research?

My research focuses on addressing the severe pulmonary complications of acute pancreatitis, particularly pancreatitis-induced lung injury, which can progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In collaboration with GSK’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) team, I aim to apply AIML methodologies to accelerate the drug discovery process in this area. This includes the identification of novel disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In parallel, I am building on a longstanding collaboration with the University of Liverpool’s Medicinal Chemistry group to further refine and develop mitochondrial-protective strategies that have shown promise in preclinical models.

What inspired you to look at this field

Every major breakthrough in healthcare has started with a powerful yet simple insight: something isn’t working, and we must do better. My clinical research follows this very principle. Early in my medical career, I recognised a critical gap in care exists for patients with pancreatitis and ARDS that remain without any targeted drug therapies, despite their severe impact on patients and the healthcare system. These conditions often require prolonged critical care and carry a high risk of mortality, yet our therapeutic arsenal remains frustratingly limited. What’s more, we still lack reliable tools to predict which patients with acute pancreatitis will go on to develop lung injury. Solving this would be transformative, not only enabling earlier intervention and personalised treatment strategies, but also refining patient selection for clinical trials and accelerating the path toward precision medicine in this high-risk population.

Which industry partner are you working with and how will they support you in achieving your goals? What will your partner gain from working with you?

I’m collaborating with GSK to integrate their cutting-edge AI and machine learning (AIML) approaches into my research, supported by expert guidance and hands-on collaboration with their AIML engineers and computational biologists, who will work directly with me on analysing and interpreting my data. In addition, I’ll benefit from access to GSK’s research and innovation teams, as well as their extensive compound libraries—vast resources that will significantly accelerate discovery. In return, GSK will gain access to my clinical datasets and patient samples, along with my domain expertise, contributing to their ongoing projects. This dynamic partnership is designed to generate deep clinical insights and drive critical progress in multi-omics and AIML, with the potential to make a real impact in an area of urgent unmet need.

Why did you choose the University of Liverpool as your HEI partner?

The University has a proud legacy of driving innovation in therapeutics, with particular strengths in infectious diseases, precision medicine, and global health. This makes it an ideal environment to help reshape the future of drug discovery and medicine development. Within this ecosystem, the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics has established a robust and supportive programme for MRC fellows in clinical pharmacology, which the MRC Medicines Development Fellowships continue to strengthen. I’ve developed an existing track record in research through my work with the Liverpool Pancreatitis Research Group within the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, and I’m eager to build on this foundation, expanding my contributions and continuing to grow within this forward-thinking research community.

What do you plan to do when you have completed your Fellowship?

I plan to continue my career as an Academic Surgeon with a focus on translational drug discovery—driving the development of impactful new biomarkers and therapies for conditions at the intersection of acute surgery and critical illness. My long-term vision is to expand my research group into a dynamic, collaborative team dedicated to advancing patient care through innovative science. By mentoring and training the next generation of researchers, I aim to foster the kind of bold thinking and clinical insight that leads to real, step-change improvements in patient outcomes.