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Nonprofit · Cambridge · United Kingdom

Wellcome Sanger Institute

In research, Wellcome Sanger Institute stands highest in Life Sciences (#159 of 6,403 worldwide), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (#105 of 2,964 worldwide) and Health Sciences (#452 of 9,902 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Genetics, Cancer Research and Molecular Biology (Genetics is 11.4× its share of world research).

sanger.ac.ukROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#827
of 22,385 · #566 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#55
of 862
Research works
3.5k
▼ 20% vs 2018-21
Citations
499k
142.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
21.4%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.39×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
73%
world 40%
International
46%
world 18%
Wellcome Sanger Institute

What is Wellcome Sanger Institute known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Life SciencesDomain #159 of 6,403 23.5%262 #168
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #105 of 2,964 23.1%198 #128
Health SciencesDomain #452 of 9,902 23.1%131 #245
MedicineField #442 of 8,541 22.7%124 #263
Molecular BiologySubfield #117 of 1,880 20.5%114 #135

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Wellcome Sanger Institute sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022-now. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Life Sciences#168 #159
  2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#128 #105
  3. Health Sciences#245 #452
  4. Medicine#263 #442
  5. Molecular Biology#135 #117
all time2022-now, better2022-now, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

Which fields of science does Wellcome Sanger Institute work in?

In 2022-now, 62% of research at Wellcome Sanger Institute is in Life Sciences, 28% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (47%), Medicine (27%), Immunology and Microbiology (7%). It does 4.6× the world's share of Life Sciences.

Life Sciences: 332 fractional works · 62.4% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 250 fractional works · 46.8% of its workMolecular Biology: 143 fractional works · 26.8% of its workGenetics: 50 fractional works · 9.5% of its workCancer Research: 24 fractional works · 4.5% of its workEndocrinology: 7 fractional works · 1.3% of its workMolecular Medicine: 6 fractional works · 1.2% of its workCell Biology: 5 fractional works · 1.0% of its workBiophysics: 5 fractional works · 1.0% of its workBiotechnology: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workClinical Biochemistry: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAging: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 38 fractional works · 7.1% of its workImmunology: 26 fractional works · 4.8% of its workParasitology: 6 fractional works · 1.1% of its workMicrobiology: 4 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 36 fractional works · 6.7% of its workPlant Science: 14 fractional works · 2.6% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 8 fractional works · 1.5% of its workInsect Science: 8 fractional works · 1.4% of its workFood Science: 5 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 9 fractional works · 1.6% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNeurology: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 149 fractional works · 28.0% of its workMedicine: 142 fractional works · 26.6% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 21 fractional works · 4.0% of its workEpidemiology: 18 fractional works · 3.3% of its workOncology: 14 fractional works · 2.7% of its workInfectious Diseases: 14 fractional works · 2.7% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 12 fractional works · 2.2% of its workSurgery: 8 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHematology: 7 fractional works · 1.2% of its workPhysiology: 7 fractional works · 1.2% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 6 fractional works · 1.2% of its workGenetics: 6 fractional works · 1.1% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 3 fractional works · 0.6% of its workDermatology: 3 fractional works · 0.6% of its workRheumatology: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workReproductive Medicine: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNeurology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGastroenterology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 1.1% of its workVeterinary: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmall Animals: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNursing: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Professions: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDentistry: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysical Sciences: 46 fractional works · 8.6% of its workEnvironmental Science: 26 fractional works · 4.8% of its workEcology: 18 fractional works · 3.5% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComputer Science: 9 fractional works · 1.7% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 4 fractional works · 0.7% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 3 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEngineering: 3 fractional works · 0.6% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPaleontology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSpectroscopy: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMathematics: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMaterials Science: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 5 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSocial Sciences: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPsychology: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workALL ITS WORKWellcome SangerInstitute533fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences62%Physical Sciences9%Health Sciences28%Social Sciences1%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 25 fields, with their numbers
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology25046.8%
    2. Immunology and Microbiology387.1%
    3. Agricultural and Biological Sciences366.7%
    4. Neuroscience91.6%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics10.1%
    1. Medicine14226.6%
    2. Veterinary30.5%
    3. Nursing20.4%
    4. Health Professions20.4%
    5. Dentistry10.2%
    1. Environmental Science264.8%
    2. Computer Science91.7%
    3. Engineering30.6%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences30.5%
    5. Chemistry20.3%
    6. Mathematics20.3%
    7. Materials Science10.2%
    8. Physics and Astronomy10.1%
    9. Energy00.0%
    1. Social Sciences20.3%
    2. Decision Sciences10.2%
    3. Arts and Humanities10.2%
    4. Psychology10.1%
    5. Economics, Econometrics and Finance00.1%
    6. Business, Management and Accounting00.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Wellcome Sanger Institute specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Genetics takes 11.4× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. GeneticsSubfield · 50.4 works11×
  2. Cancer ResearchSubfield · 24.1 works10×
  3. Molecular BiologySubfield · 142.7 works8.9×
  4. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField · 249.6 works8.8×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1.42× its world share, 36 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 8.79× its world share, 250 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 7.01× its world share, 38 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.99× its world share, 9 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.31× its world share, 1 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemistry: 0.22× its world share, 2 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.22× its world share, 9 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.32× its world share, 3 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.04× its world share, 3 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.96× its world share, 26 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.06× its world share, 1 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.27× its world share, 2 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.06× its world share, 1 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.40× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.14× its world share, 2 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 1.38× its world share, 142 worksMedicineNursing: 0.85× its world share, 2 worksNursingVeterinary: 3.54× its world share, 3 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.08× its world share, 1 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.25× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.04× its world share, 1 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.03× its world share, 2 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, 8.8×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 25 fields, with their numbers
  1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.79×250 works
  2. Immunology and Microbiology7.01×38 works
  3. Veterinary3.54×3 works
  4. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1.42×36 works
  5. Medicine1.38×142 works
  6. Neuroscience0.99×9 works
  7. Environmental Science0.96×26 works
  8. Nursing0.85×2 works
  9. Dentistry0.40×1 works
  10. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.32×3 works
  11. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.31×1 works
  12. Mathematics0.27×2 works
  13. Decision Sciences0.25×1 works
  14. Chemistry0.22×2 works
  15. Computer Science0.22×9 works
  16. Health Professions0.14×2 works
  17. Arts and Humanities0.08×1 works
  18. Materials Science0.06×1 works
  19. Physics and Astronomy0.06×1 works
  20. Engineering0.04×3 works
  21. Psychology0.04×1 works
  22. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.03×0 works
  23. Social Sciences0.03×2 works
  24. Energy0.01×0 works
  25. Business, Management and Accounting0.01×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Wellcome Sanger Institute?

Ranked on the quality score, Michael R. Stratton, Sarah Amalia Teichmann and Richard M. Durbin lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Wellcome Sanger Institute.

  1. 1 Michael R. Stratton United Kingdom · #132 worldwide 203k citations · 654 works
  2. 2 Sarah Amalia Teichmann United Kingdom · #148 worldwide 98k citations · 687 works
  3. 3 Richard M. Durbin United Kingdom · #235 worldwide 410k citations · 483 works
  4. 4 Iñigo Martincorena United Kingdom · #343 worldwide 50k citations · 279 works
  5. 5 Peter J. Campbell United Kingdom · #547 worldwide 138k citations · 744 works
  6. 6 Jon W. Teague United Kingdom · #612 worldwide 92k citations · 196 works
  7. 7 Nicole Soranzo United Kingdom · #613 worldwide 84k citations · 443 works
  8. 8 Jeffrey C. Barrett United Kingdom · #925 worldwide 123k citations · 250 works
  9. 9 Adam P. Butler United Kingdom · #1,104 worldwide 74k citations · 177 works
  10. 10 Matthew E. Hurles United Kingdom · #1,182 worldwide 129k citations · 384 works
All ranked researchers at Wellcome Sanger Institute

What are the most cited papers from Wellcome Sanger Institute?

The most cited paper from Wellcome Sanger Institute is "The Sequence Alignment/Map format and SAMtools" (Heng Li, Bob Handsaker, Alec Wysoker et al., 2009), with 69,061 citations. Next come "Fast and accurate short read alignment with Burrows–Wheeler transform" (63,989) and "Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome" (24,745).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 The Sequence Alignment/Map format and SAMtools Heng Li, Bob Handsaker, Alec Wysoker et al. · Bioinformatics Open access 8 Jun 2009 69,061
2 Fast and accurate short read alignment with Burrows–Wheeler transform Heng Li, Richard M. Durbin · Bioinformatics Open access 18 May 2009 63,989
3 Initial sequencing and analysis of the human genome Eric S. Lander et al. · Nature Open access252 authors Feb 2001 24,745
4 A global reference for human genetic variation Corresponding authors et al. · Nature Open access815 authors 29 Sep 2015 20,444
5 An integrated encyclopedia of DNA elements in the human genome Ian Dunham et al. · Nature Open access442 authors Sep 2012 19,751
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Wellcome Sanger Institute?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, RNA-Seq, Gene Expression, Phylogenetic Analysis, genome annotation, sequence alignment, Genomic Instability and Vaccine Development.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology65▲ 3.1×84 topics
  2. RNA-Seq42▲ 67×2 topics
  3. Gene Expression33▲ 9.9×18 topics
  4. Phylogenetic Analysis30▲ 18×12 topics
  5. genome annotation25▲ 73×1 topic
  6. sequence alignment25▲ 73×1 topic
  7. Genomic Instability21▲ 35×3 topics
  8. Vaccine Development20▲ 15×11 topics
  9. Cell-Free DNA20▲ 38×2 topics
  10. Targeted Therapy20▲ 16×4 topics
  11. Somatic Mutations19▲ 44×2 topics
  12. Cancer Genomics19▲ 50×1 topic
  13. Mutational Signatures19▲ 50×1 topic
  14. Data Integration18▲ 20×4 topics
  15. Evolution17▲ 12×12 topics
  16. Antibiotic Resistance17▲ 8.1×11 topics
  17. Cancer17▲ 2.3×36 topics
  18. Single-Cell16▲ 59×1 topic
  19. Transcriptomics16▲ 59×1 topic
  20. Biodiversity16▲ 4.0×18 topics
  21. Population Genetics15▲ 21×5 topics
  22. Pathogenesis15▲ 5.5×22 topics
  23. Genomics14▲ 8.7×9 topics
  24. Genetic Diversity13▲ 5.7×11 topics
  25. Immunotherapy13▲ 3.4×18 topics
  26. Genome Engineering12▲ 38×1 topic
  27. RNA-Guided12▲ 38×1 topic
  28. Antimicrobial Resistance11▲ 10×9 topics
  29. Gut Microbiota11▲ 6.0×6 topics
  30. Immunity11▲ 5.0×11 topics
  31. DNA Barcoding10▲ 11×8 topics
  32. Inflammatory Diseases10▲ 10×5 topics
  33. Bioinformatics10▲ 16×4 topics
  34. Genome Evolution10▲ 47×2 topics
  35. Vector Control10▲ 17×3 topics
  36. Epigenetic Regulation10▲ 8.8×6 topics
  37. Genetic Variation10▲ 8.3×8 topics
  38. Genome Sequence9▲ 20×3 topics
  39. Epigenetic Reprogramming9▲ 17×2 topics
  40. Transcriptional Regulation8▲ 9.5×9 topics

Which research topics does Wellcome Sanger Institute publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies, Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics, Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics and CRISPR and Genetic Engineering.

Genomics and Phylogeneti…25Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies: 25 fractional worksCancer Genomics and Diagnostics: 19 fractional worksSingle-cell and spatial transcriptomics: 16 fractional worksCRISPR and Genetic Engineering: 12 fractional worksGenomics and Rare Diseases: 8 fractional worksGut microbiota and health8Gut microbiota and health: 8 fractional worksAntibiotic Resistance in Bacteria: 6 fractional worksEpigenetics and DNA Methylation: 6 fractional worksMalaria Research and Control: 6 fractional worksChromosomal and Genetic Variations: 6 fractional works
Molecular BiologyCancer ResearchGeneticsMolecular Medicine2 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies Molecular Biology 25 works
  2. 2 Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Cancer Research 19 works
  3. 3 Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics Molecular Biology 16 works
  4. 4 CRISPR and Genetic Engineering Molecular Biology 12 works
  5. 5 Genomics and Rare Diseases Genetics 8 works
  6. 6 Gut microbiota and health Molecular Biology 8 works
  7. 7 Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria Molecular Medicine 6 works
  8. 8 Epigenetics and DNA Methylation Molecular Biology 6 works
  9. 9 Malaria Research and Control Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health 6 works
  10. 10 Chromosomal and Genetic Variations Plant Science 6 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available72.9%not open27.1%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors45.6%domestic only54.4%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Wellcome Sanger Institute's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 20% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Wellcome Sanger Institute as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0020% in 2024.

still counting0.0025%0.0050%0.0075%Wellcome Sanger Institute0.0018% in 20251990200020102020

Fractional works of Wellcome Sanger Institute over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting20%40%Wellcome Sanger Institute18.2% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 31.0% in 2014.

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Wellcome Sanger Institute on Science Explorer

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Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where Wellcome Sanger Institute is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

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Questions people ask

What does the Wellcome Sanger Institute research?

In research, Wellcome Sanger Institute stands highest in Life Sciences (#159 of 6,403 worldwide), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (#105 of 2,964 worldwide) and Health Sciences (#452 of 9,902 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Genetics, Cancer Research and Molecular Biology (Genetics is 11.4× its share of world research).

All 1,273 questions in the Question Catalogue

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