Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation

The Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation (CeTPD) is bolstering the University of Dundee’s world-leading position in a field that is revolutionising drug discovery.

A person wearing purple gloves and goggles in a lab looking at a test tube

Targeted protein degradation

CeTPD

Targeted protein degradation co-opts the cell’s natural disposal systems to remove disease-causing proteins and is applicable to diverse therapeutic areas including oncology, dermatology, immunology, neuroscience and respiratory diseases. This entirely new approach is revolutionising drug discovery by making the treatment of diseases previously thought to be undruggable a reality.

CeTPD is part of the University’s School of Life Sciences, one of the UK’s top institutions for research into biological sciences.

Dundee researchers and teams led by Professor Alessio Ciulli have previously revealed fundamental insights into the working of the degrader molecules that they have designed and that are used across the globe. Collaborations with pharma companies Boehringer Ingelheim and Almirall amongst others are helping to advance the field, while the biopharmaceutical company Amphista Therapeutics is a University of Dundee spin-out of the Ciulli Lab.

Our new translational research centre will build on this established excellence to innovate groundbreaking science and accelerate translation by developing and inspiring the next generation of scientists and leaders.

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Published on 12 August 2025