The Bath Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change (ISCC) is proud to celebrate Dr Scott Lovell, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Biology at the University of Bath, on being awarded a prestigious UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. This highly competitive programme provides up to seven years of funding to support outstanding early-career researchers and empower them to tackle global challenges.
For Scott, the Fellowship is not just a milestone but a launchpad.
It means a lot in terms of showing that my research is credible and that people see me as a potential future leader. It gives me a platform to build something bigger at Bath and to gain real critical mass in drug discovery.
Tackling the “undruggable” cancer proteome
Scott’s research focuses on developing covalent macrocycles - novel molecules designed to bind to proteins that traditional drugs cannot reach. While medicines today can target around 15% of the proteins in the human body, the remaining 85% are considered “undruggable”. Many of these play key roles in driving diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. Scott describes his approach in accessible terms:
- Macrocycles act like large, flexible “grappling hooks,” latching onto flat protein surfaces that small molecules can’t.
- Covalent inhibitors form permanent, precise bonds with their protein targets, ensuring they work continuously until the protein is naturally broken down.
- Covalent macrocycles combine both strengths - creating what Scott calls a kind of “super-molecule” - able to tackle proteins previously thought impossible to drug.
The implications are profound. One of the first targets his team will pursue is linked to pancreatic cancer, a disease with a five-year survival rate of just 5%, unchanged in decades.
If we can develop a drug successfully for that protein, it could offer a desperately needed treatment option for patients.
A demanding journey
Winning a Future Leaders Fellowship is no small feat. The process stretched over 15 months, involving internal selection, rigorous interviews, and extensive preparation.
Scott credits the University of Bath and the ISCC for playing a vital role in supporting his application. From mock interviews and leadership training to funding opportunities that allowed him to mentor students from disadvantaged backgrounds, the experience was transformative.
I actually learned so much from the leadership consultant we worked with. I was cynical at first, but they really broke down how to present complex ideas to people outside my field. Even small things like how to structure answers to questions made a huge difference.
Sustainability in drug discovery
Beyond the science, Scott is also passionate about the sustainability of the pharmaceutical industry. Few realise that drug development generates more CO₂ emissions than the automotive sector.
It’s a moral dilemma. Should we be making drugs primarily for people in the West if the emissions from that process contribute to climate change, which disproportionately affects the developing world?
Scott hopes to use the Fellowship to influence policy, advocating for sustainability to be considered in how medicines are approved and regulated.
Building for the future
The Fellowship also provides protected time for professional development – an uncommon luxury in academia. Scott will train in structural biology with colleagues in the Department of Life Sciences and spend time with industry partners learning how to advance his molecules toward the clinic.
Looking further ahead, Scott envisions leading Bath’s new Centre for Drug Discovery and ultimately establishing a spin-out company to translate research into real-world treatments.
At the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change we are thrilled to see Scott’s achievement recognised on such a national stage. His work embodies the mission of the Institute: interdisciplinary research that not only pushes scientific frontiers but also addresses global sustainability challenges.
Congratulations to Scott on this well-deserved award. We look forward to supporting him as he takes the next steps on this exciting journey.
To learn more about Scott’s research and the team’s activities, visit the Department of Life Sciences’ video feature below.