Division of Signal Transduction Therapy
Encyclopedia
The Division of Signal Transduction Therapy or DSTT is an organization managed by the University of Dundee
and pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca
, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline
, Merck Serono
and Pfizer
. The purpose of the collaboration is to do general cell signaling
research and to encourage development of therapeutic protein kinase inhibitors and phosphatases. It is one of the largest ever collaborations between the commercial pharmaceutical industry and any academic research institute.
.
Under the DSTT's agreement, the commercial companies and the DSTT share access to their unpublished results, equipment, and staff expertise in the participating laboratories. The university staff gets steady funding, while the commercial companies get rights to license certain intellectual property
produced. The DSTT does not conduct contract research on behalf of member companies; 60% of the budget is consumed by basic research chosen by the companies and the remaining 40% is used to provide analytical services and maintain the collection of reagents. The DSTT itself produces protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases, and also targets for high-throughput screening
. These reagents are prerequisites to the development of new drug leads, and the variety kept available by the DSTT is vast compared to what typical laboratories keep.
.
Protein phosphorylation is a principal control mechanism in almost all aspects of cellular regulation
of most organisms. Abnormalities in phosporylation contribute to many classes of diseases including cancer, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.
in recognition of the DSTT being a model for research sharing between academic and commercial sectors. Elizabeth II and Prince Philip presented the prize on 16 February 2006.
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
and pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...
, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, Merck Serono
Merck Serono
Merck Serono is a pharmaceutical company headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. In September 2006, Merck KGaA announced its intent to purchase the majority of Serono shares from Ernesto Bertarelli and the Bertarelli family. The Merck-Serono merger was announced on September 21, 2006...
and Pfizer
Pfizer
Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
. The purpose of the collaboration is to do general cell signaling
Cell signaling
Cell signaling is part of a complex system of communication that governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. The ability of cells to perceive and correctly respond to their microenvironment is the basis of development, tissue repair, and immunity as well as normal tissue...
research and to encourage development of therapeutic protein kinase inhibitors and phosphatases. It is one of the largest ever collaborations between the commercial pharmaceutical industry and any academic research institute.
Organizational resources and management
The organization was founded in 1998. In 2003 the organization's existence was renewed with £15 million funding, and in 2008 further renewed with £11 million. It is made up of nearly 200 scientific and support staff in the University of Dundee. The amount of funding and staff make DSTT the largest collaboration between the for-profit pharmaceutical industry and a university in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Under the DSTT's agreement, the commercial companies and the DSTT share access to their unpublished results, equipment, and staff expertise in the participating laboratories. The university staff gets steady funding, while the commercial companies get rights to license certain intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
produced. The DSTT does not conduct contract research on behalf of member companies; 60% of the budget is consumed by basic research chosen by the companies and the remaining 40% is used to provide analytical services and maintain the collection of reagents. The DSTT itself produces protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases, and also targets for high-throughput screening
High-throughput screening
High-throughput screening is a method for scientific experimentation especially used in drug discovery and relevant to the fields of biology and chemistry. Using robotics, data processing and control software, liquid handling devices, and sensitive detectors, High-Throughput Screening allows a...
. These reagents are prerequisites to the development of new drug leads, and the variety kept available by the DSTT is vast compared to what typical laboratories keep.
Research
The focus of the DSTT is the study of protein phosphorylationProtein phosphorylation
Protein phosphorylation is a post-translational modification of proteins in which a serine, a threonine or a tyrosine residue is phosphorylated by a protein kinase by the addition of a covalently bound phosphate group. Regulation of proteins by phosphorylation is one of the most common modes of...
.
Protein phosphorylation is a principal control mechanism in almost all aspects of cellular regulation
Cell (biology)
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos....
of most organisms. Abnormalities in phosporylation contribute to many classes of diseases including cancer, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Awards
The University of Dundee received a Queen's Anniversary PrizeQueen's Anniversary Prize
The Queen's Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education is a biennially awarded series of prizes awarded to Universities and Colleges in the further and higher education sectors within the United Kingdom...
in recognition of the DSTT being a model for research sharing between academic and commercial sectors. Elizabeth II and Prince Philip presented the prize on 16 February 2006.