Professor Alessio Ciulli
FRSC
Professor
Biological Chemistry and Drug Discovery, School of Life Sciences
Director of the Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation
Centre for Targeted Protein Degradation, School of Life Sciences

Contact
Websites
Research
Research in the Ciulli Lab broadly spans the fields of Chemical Biology and Structural Biology of Protein-Protein Interactions (PPIs) and is specifically concerned with studies of druggability of PPIs to small molecule modulators. Of particular interest are protein surfaces and interfaces recognizing protein Post-Translational Modifications (PTMs) within multi-domain and multi-subunit protein complexes. We employ a question-driven, multi-disciplinary approach that combines chemical, biophysical and structural techniques with the concepts and approaches of fragment-based and structure-based drug design. The 'chemical probes' we design and develop are evaluated biophysically, structurally and whenever possible within living cells as tools to address biological questions, and as starting leads with potential to be developed as novel therapeutics.
Current and future research efforts are directed towards targeting PPIs and PTM recognition within two protein families of biological and medical relevance:
Ubiquitin System: the Cullin RING E3 ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) multisubunit complexes
Chromatin System: Multidomain proteins of containing paired domains of the epigenetic reader families
Teaching
BS42011: A 4th year module entitled "Advanced Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology"
PhD Projects
Principal supervisor
Second supervisor
Stories

Press release
University of Dundee spinout Amphista Therapeutics has received a boost in its efforts to develop new drugs for neurogenerative diseases such as dementia.

Press release
A successful collaboration between the University of Dundee and pharmaceutical company Eisai Co Ltd aiming to create innovative new cancer drugs has been extended for a further three years.

Press release
An international collaboration, featuring scientists from the University of Dundee, has made a breakthrough they hope will help futureproof a revolutionary new field of drug discovery by preventing resistance in cancer therapy.
Research interests
Chemical and Structural Biology of Targeted Protein Degradation
Awards
Award | Year |
---|---|
International Science Prizes awarded since 1990 / Prous Institute-Overton and Meyer Award for New Technologies in Drug Discovery | 2022 |
Fellow of Learned Societies and Colleges / Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry | 2016 |
International Science Prizes awarded since 1990 / MedChemComm Emerging Investigator Lectureship (2016) | 2016 |
International Science Prizes awarded since 1990 / Royal Society of Chemistry Capps Green Zomaya Award | 2016 |
International Science Prizes awarded since 1990 / EFMC Prize for Young Medicinal Chemist in Academia | 2015 |
International Science Prizes awarded since 1990 / ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award | 2015 |
International Science Prizes awarded since 1990 / Talented Young Italians Award | 2014 |
Major Personal Funding Awards / ERC Starting Grant | 2012 |
Personal Fellowships / BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship | 2010 |