Looking to the future, in 2014 we forged a strategic link with the Bangalore Life Science Cluster to create a joint Antimicrobial Drug Discovery Centre to tackle antimicrobial resistance. The Bangalore Life Science Cluster comprises the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP).
The Centre will harness experience and leverage of the well-established Drug Discovery Unit (DDU), expertise in bacteriology and microbiology in the Division of Molecular Microbiology (University of Dundee) and fundamental research, translational studies and technology development expertise of the Bangalore Bio-Cluster, to deliver new antimicrobial therapeutics.
The aims of the partnership include:
- Training Indian scientists in Dundee and in India in aspects of drug discovery to build antimicrobial drug expertise.
- Developing joint drug discovery research projects to identify antimicrobial candidate drugs and address key issues for pre-clinical drug discovery.
- Building mutual capabilities and resources that will accelerate the translation of basic research into antimicrobial resistance to deliver new therapeutics.
- Sharing information, tools and compound libraries, data sets and screens to drive the development of new therapeutic strategies for tacking antimicrobial resistance.
Our national and international partners in antimicrobial drug discovery are:
For malaria: Medicines for Malaria Venture.
For kinetoplastids: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Wellcome Trust, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, GALVmed, Novartis, Cellzome, University of Oxford, University of Glasgow, University of Melbourne, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Astra Zeneca.
For tuberculosis: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Eli Lilly, AbbVie, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA.
For antibacterials: The Bangalore Life Science Cluster: National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), and BugWorks Research Inc.
