University of Dundee plans to create 25 jobs with a £5 million specialist research centre.
It will create a Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD) to bolster the university’s “world-leading position in a field of chemical biology”.
The research centre to be housed at the Technopole site adjacent to Dundee’s School of Life Sciences.
The existing two-storey building will be fitted out with state-of-the-art facilities.
The university has launched a fundraising campaign for the investment will be met by a mixture of public and private sources as well as University funds.
What research will be carried out?
These will allow Professor Alessio Ciulli and colleagues to expand their pioneering work in an area that has attracted billions of pounds of investment globally.
The core team working on targeted protein degradation (TPD) at the University will grow from around 25 staff currently to 50 people when their labs are relocated to the new centre.
Targeted protein degradation co-opts a cell’s natural disposal systems to remove disease-causing proteins.
As an entirely new approach, it provides hope of treating diseases previously thought to be resistant to drugs. The first degrader drugs of these kind are advancing in clinical trials against cancer.
Amphista Therapeutics, the University spin out Professor Ciulli founded, last month received a near-£40 million investment to further its work developing new drugs for a range of diseases.
“Targeted protein degradation is one of the most exciting areas of scientific study to have emerged in many years, one which is revolutionising drug development,” he said.
“We are only beginning to explore the true potential of TPD to produce next-generation therapeutics for a variety of diseases.
“Dundee is right at the heart of these efforts. We are one of a handful of institutions leading the world in TPD and this Centre is integral to our ambition of establishing Dundee as the undisputed pinnacle for training and innovating in TPD research.
“Our new home will provide opportunities for growth and to capitalise on the expertise we have established here.
“It will help to accelerate innovation and will also attract further investment and major collaboration partners in the pharmaceutical industry.”
Tay Cities Deal funding
Promoting further commercialisation is a key aim of Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, which will be sited next to the new Tay Cities Regional Innovation Hub.
This facility, funded as part of the Tay Cities Deal, will bring together world-class life sciences innovation and entrepreneurial expertise to drive high-growth company formation, providing new treatments and technologies.
The CeTPD is expected to contribute to a pipeline of spinout companies translating exceptional fundamental research into products that benefit patients across the world and underpin successful commercial entities.
Professor Iain Gillespie, principal and vice-chancellor of the University, said: “This development is pivotal to our ambition for Dundee to establish itself not just as a great place for scientific discovery which subsequently drives economic growth elsewhere but also as a leading location for us to grow the businesses we spin out and to create a vibrant bio-cluster here in Tayside.
“The investment we are making demonstrates our commitment to supporting and nurturing excellence, with the work of Professor Ciulli and colleagues truly leading the world in terms of TPD research.
“The industry partnerships that have subsequently developed have been heralded as exemplary by the pharmaceutical companies we work with. We are very excited by the prospect of the CeTPD helping to realise the scientific and commercial potential of this field and of our city.”
Work to fit out the Centre is already underway and is expected to be completed by early 2022.
