Drug Discovery Unit
We translate basic science into lead compounds to validate putative drug targets, to use as tools to investigate disease pathways and, when appropriate, advance to pre-clinical drug candidates.
We work to biotech style philosophy and standards incorporating, dynamic, goal driven project management based on target product profiles and compound selection criteria. Our major research themes are:
- neglected tropical diseases
- innovative targets and pathways
The DDU has all of the capabilities required for:
- early phase drug discovery
- assay development
- high throughput screening
- cell biology
- medicinal chemistry
- structural biology
- computational chemistry
- DMPK
All of these capabilities operate under one management structure to ensure an integrated approach and rapid progress.
Currently the team is about 120 people and includes substantial experience from the pharmaceutical/ biotech sector. This website contains details of current programmes and supporting infrastructure.
Head of Unit
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Executive
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Leadership
| Name | Role | |
|---|---|---|
| Dr Laura Cleghorn | TB Portfolio Manager | L.A.T.Cleghorn@dundee.ac.uk |
| Dr Vincent Postis | Molecular Interaction Team Leader | vpostis001@dundee.ac.uk |
| Dr Gary Tarver | Synthetic Methodologies Team Leader | g.j.tarver@dundee.ac.uk |
| Dr Duncan Scott | Team Leader | dscott004@dundee.ac.uk |
Publications
News
Press release
Ground-breaking research into new forms of contraception have been boosted significantly with new support.
Press release
Mouse models with a human drug metabolism have the potential to transform preclinical research, say University of Dundee experts.
News
Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum today heard how University of Dundee research could help save millions of lives in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)