Rajarshi Mukherjee
Mr Rajarshi Mukherjee is an MRC / GSK Clinical Scientist Fellow based in the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology
What type of fellowship do you have?
Medical Research Council (MRC) / GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Clinician Scientist Fellowship
When did you start your fellowship?
May 2025.
What were you doing prior to your fellowship?
I was a Ronald Finn Senior Research Fellow with the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology as well as Emergency General and Major Trauma Surgeon with Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Why did you choose to undertake your fellowship with the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences?
World-class expertise and infrastructure in translational drug discovery and clinical pharmacology, building on my track record of cutting-edge research in pancreatic diseases.
How does the MRC and GSK fund your work?
My clinician scientist award is one of the first MRC Clinical Scientist awards to be jointly funded by industry through the MRC Medicines Development Fellowship programme that the University of Liverpool is leading. The MRC and GSK have a 50:50 for the fellowship covering my salary, staff costs and consumables, whilst GSK also provide further significant 'in-kind' contributions to my work.
What is the aim of your research?
To utilise new AI-driven drug discovery approaches to develop a new multi-omics model of pancreatitis-induced lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), trained on datasets from patients with acute pancreatitis, polytrauma and sepsis, and then use this model to identify new biomarkers and novel drug targets for the condition.
What inspired you to look at this field?
I'm driven by the desperate and urgent need to improve outcomes in acute pancreatitis and ARDS—two devastating conditions with no reliable predictors or targeted treatments. AI-powered drug discovery is transforming our understanding of and the way we manage complex inflammatory diseases, and leveraging these cutting-edge approaches is timely and future-ready, potentially revolutionising treatment for critical illness.