1 February 2007

Sulsa launch to build on life sciences excellence at Dundee

The Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance, a new £77 million initiative launched today in Edinburgh, will build on the excellence in life sciences at the University of Dundee and bring new investment to the city.

The University of Dundee, one of six Scottish universities involved in the new venture, is the lead institute for one of SULSA’s key themes, Translational Biology.

"SULSA's three themes of Cell Biology, Systems Biology and Translational Biology play to the strengths of Life Sciences research at the University of Dundee," said Professor Pete Downes, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Life Sciences at the University of Dundee.

"We are the lead institute in Translational Biology which links basic research on disease mechanisms with the expertise necessary to create new drugs that can be developed into new treatments."

"This builds on our other recent major developments in Dundee, including the opening of our £21 million Sir James Black Centre, a state-of-the-art research building (named after the recently retired University Chancellor and Nobel Laureate, Sir James Black); the award of £8.1 million from the Wellcome Trust for a programme to develop drugs for the treatment of major tropical diseases; and the selection of Dundee to host the core laboratory for the Translational Medicine Research Institute funded by U.S. pharmaceuticals giant, Wyeth, and Scottish Enterprise."

"We look forward to further building on Scotland's excellence in life sciences".

Professor Downes said he expected that Dundee would receive a "significant" cash injection from the new initiative, probably amounting to several million pounds over the next five years.

University Principal Sir Alan Langlands further welcomed the SULSA announcement:

"This joint investment pools the strengths of life sciences in our universities elevating our international presence in a field where the potential - in terms of both health benefits and economic investment - is hugely important for Scotland. The economic benefit of excellence in life sciences is already well illustrated in Dundee where the University’s name as an international leader in this has attracted investment, research activity and high quality jobs from major pharmaceutical companies and played a key role in the economic development of the city."

"These include a longstanding £23 million consortium with six of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, the attraction to Dundee of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals bringing with it £50 million and 50 jobs; Upstate Inc (recently acquired by Millipore); and most recently Swedish company Cellartis AB, with the support of the ITI initiative, creating up to another 75 high skill jobs. These add to the activity of spin out companies Axis Shield, Cyclacel and CXR Biosciences building the critical mass and ensuring future development in this vital and growing area."

"SULSA will be a force for good in Scotland’s future health, international reputation and prosperity."

For media enquiries contact:

Roddy Isles
Head, Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384910
E-MAIL: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk