Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery (BCDD)
Improving our understanding of pathogen biology and transforming drug discovery for both infectious and non-infectious diseases; making the previously undruggable, druggable.
We target lethal and debilitating pathogens, address urgent unmet patient needs, and deliver new medicines; working in a multi-disciplinary, highly collaborative and well-resourced research environment. Delivery is enabled through technological innovation, research excellence, and partnerships with research and development organisations and pharmaceutical companies.
World-leading centres and teams
BCDD incorporates the following world-leading centres and teams:
- Centre for Anti-Infectives Research
A hub for innovation in neglected tropical disease drug discovery. - Drug Discovery Unit
Translates basic science into pre-clinical drug candidates. - Mode-of-Action group
Undertakes drug target deconvolution studies with anti-infective compounds. - Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation
Revolutionising drug discovery by making the previously undruggable, druggable.
Core strengths
Cross-cutting core strengths and innovation areas include:
- drug-resistance
- chemical biology
- glycobiology
- medicinal chemistry
- gene expression control mechanisms
- genetic manipulation
- high-throughput screening
- proteomics
- molecular interactions
- imaging
- informatics
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases we target include:
- African trypanosomiasis
- leishmaniasis
- Chagas disease
- malaria
- cryptosporidiosis
- cryptococcosis
- schistosomiasis
- tuberculosis
Training and mentoring are embedded at all levels. Several highly successful spinouts and start-ups have attracted major investment.
- Tropical diseases [African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, malaria]
- New approaches to drug discovery [Targeted protein degradation, Exscientia]
Head of Division
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Academic staff
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Associates
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Key contacts
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Jamie Curran | Lab Manager | [email protected] |
| Nancy Kirk and Fiona Ross | Lab Manager | [email protected] |
| Susan Ross | Senior Technical Support | [email protected] & [email protected] |
| Kirstie Hughes | PA to Prof Ian Gilbert | [email protected] |
| PA to Prof Alessio Ciulli | [email protected] | |
| Secretary | [email protected] | |
| Aaron Hendry | Technician | [email protected] & [email protected] |
Publications
Stories
News
A scalable gene-editing approach developed by Life Sciences researchers reveals how deadly parasites can evade promising new treatments
Press release
University of Dundee researchers have made a significant breakthrough in the global effort to combat tuberculosis.
News
END2AMR, a new Innovative Health Initiative (IHI)–funded public-private partnership bringing together academia, SMEs, and industry to accelerate innovation against antimicrobial resistance
Press release
A start-up company founded by a University of Dundee researcher has been announced as the delivery partner for a £1 million project for the UK Government’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
News
A team in the School of Life Sciences has shown that RNA transcripts from a large gene family compete with each other and that a single active winner emerges
News
To mark Scotland’s national Innovation Week 2025, we spoke to Ricardo Moreno Ballesteros and Peter Ibrahim from the School of Life Sciences who started their innovation journey during their PhD studies
News
This years’ British Society for Parasitology (BSP) Trypanosomiasis & Leishmaniasis Seminar recognised Alan Fairlamb as one of the giants of molecular and biochemical parasitology