Translational Medicine & Therapeutics in Dundee

The translation of basic and clinical research into local, national and global therapeutic and health care benefits is central to the University’s strategic vision and is driven, both bottom up and top down, across the organisation. There are considerable interdisciplinary strengths and synergies within the University of Dundee that support the translational research strategy. The University considers translational medicine an institutional priority and this is demonstrated by various initiatives and collaborations:

• The Tayside Academic Health Services Centre (TAHSC) combines the research strengths of the University of Dundee with NHS Tayside and is a node of the Scottish Academic Health Sciences Collaboration. The Centre aims to make research management and governance more efficient and promote a stronger culture of research within the NHS.
• Launched in 2008 as a £15 million University/NHS Tayside partnership the Clinical Research Centre Tayside is a state of the art hub facility for the conduct of patient-based research and clinical trials of all phases.
  

• The Dundee Cancer Centre has been established to enhance cancer research and translate discoveries to improved patient care by building partnerships amongst researchers and capitalising on the exceptional strengths in Dundee.
  

• The£15 million Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) aims to translate basic research discoveries into candidate drugs to treat diseases, especially those neglected by major pharmaceutical companies.
  

• The Health Informatics Centre, a partnership between the University of Dundee, NHS Tayside and NHS National Services Scotland, provides secure access to a comprehensive set of linked data about health and healthcare within the Tayside population, allowing investigation of the contribution of the individual, the community and the health service to the basis of health and disease.
  

• The Institute of Medical Science and Technology (IMSAT) is a joint initiative with St Andrews University. It spans a range of disciplines to create new solutions in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging, targeted drug development and image guided therapy.
  

• One of the largest research collaborations between the pharmaceutical industry, the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) aims to develop new drugs based on world leading research.
  

• SINAPSE is a pan Scotland partnership which aims to build a common platform for multicentre imaging research across Scotland, with critical mass of expertise to support human imaging research.
  

• The Tayside Clinical Trials Unit is based in the Medical School and provides support for researchers, University management and external organisations in matters pertaining to clinical trials.