February 2006

in this issue

Chancellor Hails Dundee Research

The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, has officially opened the University's "truly pathbreaking" Drug Discovery Unit, a £13 million initiative to tackle some of the world's most neglected diseases, and the only one of its kind in Europe.

"This is a unit which gives hope to 30 million people in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and India, and hope therefore for thousands of people who die unnecessarily and avoidably every year," said Mr Brown.

"The statement being made here today is that the expertise we have here at this great University is being used to help the poorest and neediest people of the world. The work that will be carried out in this unit is designed to save large numbers of lives for years to come."

"There are still diseases in the world which have been the subject of insufficient interest from the pharmaceutical companies. This unit, the only one of its kind in Europe, offers new hope and that is why the opening of it today is so important and truly pathbreaking."

The Chancellor also underlined the importance to the Scottish and local economy of life sciences.

"Remarkably 16 per cent of the local economy is now based around the life sciences and biotechnology and we have an incredibly important life sciences cluster here, one matched in the UK only by Cambridge and London," said Mr Brown.

"The future of the Dundee economy is inextricably linked to what is going on at this University."

Mr Brown was joined on a tour of the Drug Discovery Unit's laboratories by Sir Dominic Cadbury, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Wellcome Trust. The Trust last year made one of its largest donations - £8.1 million - to a team led by Professors Mike Ferguson and Alan Fairlamb to help establish the Drug Discovery Unit.

Based within the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, the aim of the Unit is to translate basic research discoveries into candidate drugs ready for clinical trials. The diseases, which include African sleeping sickness, Chagas' disease and leishmaniasis, are among the most neglected in the world. Despite the fact they affect millions of the world's poorest people, these diseases have attracted little or no interest from pharmaceutical companies.

"We are delighted to have the Chancellor here today to carry out the opening of a facility which is full of exciting possibilities," said Sir Alan Langlands, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University.

"This drug discovery unit at the University of Dundee offers a new model for tackling the world's neglected diseases and with an excellent team in place we are confident of success. It adds to the core technologies in Dundee life sciences and marks a major new investment in medicinal chemistry."

Principal's Column
CBE for Professor Fairlamb
Singapore and Dundee cement partnership in Science
Art meets Science in Singapore
Highest honour for environmental biology researcher
Lister prize to aid biomedical research
SLS celebrates student success
Thousands of Scots families to help scientists
Breast cancer survivor plans monster bike & hike
£20,000 for maths-surgery collaboration
Study to uncover breast cancer drug resistance
Breast cancer gene to be investigated
Dundee Professor to head Breast Cancer Campaign Scientific Advisory Board
Dundee scientists feature in new BBC series
Top names lined up for 2006 lecture series
Striking image captures oil depot fire smoke
Removing the dread from digital
Dundee-let 21st Century Design Project wraps up year one
DJCAD students first and third in international competition
New project plans to bring art to life
Photography competition deisgned to showvase research in the Medical School
Landslides rumbled by engineering research
Researchers to measure effect of smoking on pub staff
The short woalk to a healthy lifestyle for diabetics
Face to face with the Bog Man
Digest
£1/2m to improve health of people with profound and multiple disabilities
Students awarded for business sense in science
Dundee to hose Chinese Calligraphy Masterclass
Unseen Beatles photos exhibit in London
Events
Exhibitions
Court news
Research Grants
Retirals
Science and Politics: building bridges
Young engineers go to Parliament
Mental Health Day tackles social inclusion
Books
School students get a taste of University
Dundee Hosts Competition to Develop Legal Skills
SLS Postdoc Association anticipates a top 2006
New procurement and purchasing publications available to staff
Are you making the best use of your space?
Sports success
Building a healthy workforce
University Sports Clubs look forward to a top year in 2006
Riddles of Form