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Our Research Strengths

The University of Dundee has a reputation for excellence in research and continues to successfully attract leading researchers from across the world to Dundee.

The discovery of the p53 cancer gene by Professor Sir David Lane, FRS, and pioneering research into keyhole surgery by Sir Alfred Cuschieri are two major advances that have had an enormous impact on research around the globe.

The University continues to engage in groundbreaking research. Below are examples of just some of the major projects that the University is currently engaged in.

Bench to bedside research - world's first translational medicine research collaboration

The University hosts the core research laboratory of a major international collaboration worth almost £50 million - the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration (TMRC).

Translational Medicine is broadly defined as 'bench to bedside' research where laboratory findings lead to the development of new medicines for treating and preventing diseases.

The Collaboration involves the Universities of Dundee, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scottish Enterprise, NHS Scotland Grampian, Greater Glasgow, Lothian and Tayside, and one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, Wyeth.

Diabetes

The University is recognised as a world leader in the field of diabetes research. Work at the University is being carried out on almost every aspect of the disease from the cell to the community.

About 27 groups across the University are conducting research across a broad range of areas from laboratory and genetic research to exploring the best diets and lifestyles for managing and preventing diabetes.

Scotland's Leading Clinician for diabetes, Professor Andrew Morris, is based at the University. He and Professor Dario Alessi, based at the School of Life Sciences, are currently leading a major fundraising campaign to extend diabetes research from the laboratory to the clinic.

Drug discovery

The £13 million Drug Discovery Unit is involved in the development of new drugs to treat some of the world's most neglected tropical diseases, such as Chagas disease, African sleeping sickness and leishmaniasis. These diseases affect millions of the world's poorest people and attract little or no interest from pharmaceutical companies.

The Unit has been described by the Chancellor Gordon Brown as "truly pathbreaking" and is the recipient of one of the Wellcome Trust's largest ever grants (£8.1 million).

The Unit is led by Professors Mike Ferguson and Alan Fairlamb.

The University's Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) is leading the way in the development of new drugs for combating major diseases including cancer and diabetes.

Led by Professor Peter Downes and Sir Philip Cohen, the Division was awarded a Queen's Anniversary Prize in 2005 for its work in drug discovery.

The DSTT is a unique consortium involving 12 research teams in the School of Life Sciences and its associated Protein Phosphorylation Unit, along with six leading rivals from the pharmaceutical industry.

Genetic breakthrough

A University of Dundee-led international study into eczema has made groundbreaking discoveries into the genetic basis of eczema.

Led by Professor Irwin McLean, the researchers discovered the faulty gene that causes eczema and that it is linked to asthma.

The Dundee team is now working on developing ways to treat and prevent these diseases.

Accessible Computers

Work at the Queen Mother Building - home to the Division of Applied Computing - is deeply involved in making computers more accessible to all.

The Division contains one of the largest and most influential academic groups in the world researching information technology for older and disabled people.

Other work at the Division includes planetary surface simulations, a computer vision system for detecting movements in the home and a storytelling project to link schoolchildren from all over the world.

Cystic Fibrosis

The University of Dundee hosts the UK's Cystic Fibrosis Database - an important collection of records that enables scientists to research the condition.

The UK database is highly respected across the world and the team, led by Dr Anil Mehta, have been awarded funding by the European Union to extend the database across Europe.