Top
Skip to Content
LOGO(small) - Queen's University Belfast
  • Our x-twitter
  • Our facebook
  • Our linkedin
  • Our youtube
LOGO(large) - Queen's University Belfast

The Institute For Global Food Security

  • Home
  • Research
    • Nutrition and Preventive Medicine
    • Enabling Technologies, Data and Data Innovation
    • Food Integrity
    • Agriculture & Environmental Resilience
    • Research Impact
    • Research Culture
    • Research Environment
    • Recent Research Outputs
    • Postgraduate Research
  • Partnerships (including EIT Food)
    • Queen's-AFBI Alliance
  • Contact
    • Researchers and PhD supervisors
    • Key Contacts
    • Laboratory Staff
  • News
    • News Archive 2022
    • News Archive 2021
    • Covid-19 and Food podcast
    • News Archive 2020
    • News Archive 2019
    • News Archive 2018
    • News Archive 2017
    • News Archive 2016
  • Facilities (including ASSET lab)
  • Events
  • Media
  • Home
  • Research
    • Nutrition and Preventive Medicine
    • Enabling Technologies, Data and Data Innovation
    • Food Integrity
    • Agriculture & Environmental Resilience
    • Research Impact
    • Research Culture
    • Research Environment
    • Recent Research Outputs
    • Postgraduate Research
  • Partnerships (including EIT Food)
    • Queen's-AFBI Alliance
  • Contact
    • Researchers and PhD supervisors
    • Key Contacts
    • Laboratory Staff
  • News
    • News Archive 2022
    • News Archive 2021
    • Covid-19 and Food podcast
    • News Archive 2020
    • News Archive 2019
    • News Archive 2018
    • News Archive 2017
    • News Archive 2016
  • Facilities (including ASSET lab)
  • Events
  • Media
  • Our x-twitter
  • Our facebook
  • Our linkedin
  • Our youtube
In This Section
  • News Archive 2022
  • News Archive 2021
  • Covid-19 and Food podcast
  • News Archive 2020
  • News Archive 2019
  • News Archive 2018
  • News Archive 2017
  • News Archive 2016

  • Home
  • News

News

Queen’s and Almac Discovery launch state-of-the-art Chemoproteomics facility in Belfast

29 November, 2023

Queen’s University Belfast and Almac Discovery have announced a five-year project to develop a new Chemoproteomics Centre of Excellence for drug discovery.

Pharmaceutical lab stock image

The multi-million-pound facility, which is jointly funded by Almac Discovery and a BBSRC Prosperity Partnership award, is a first of its kind in Northern Ireland and will be located at Queen’s.

The project combines and harnesses the experience of industrial and academic experts to shine a new light on the way drug molecules could be used to treat disease, by using advanced mass spectrometry techniques to examine their effects on thousands of potential drug targets simultaneously, in disease relevant systems.

This latest collaboration builds on a long-established relationship between Almac Discovery and Queen’s in biological research and early-stage drug discovery. It will leverage the capabilities and state-of-the-art expertise of Queen’s researchers in mass spectrometry and biological research across three Queen’s University research centres.

Securing a Prosperity Partnership award for this project highlights the importance of advanced proteomics in addressing drug discovery challenges which will ultimately make a difference to people’s lives.

Co-Directors of the new centre, Dr Bobby Graham and Dr Ben Collins (QUB School of Biological Sciences), welcomed news of the funding:

"The importance of large-scale protein measurement technologies (‘proteomics’) in drug discovery and development is growing rapidly. Proteins are the main targets for drugs and understanding their interaction is critical to discovering new therapies. The investment from BBSRC and MRC in people and cutting-edge equipment in the School of Biological Sciences at QUB via this Prosperity Partnership will enable fundamental and applied advances at the interface of proteomics and drug discovery. We are incredibly excited to make a difference to the science of developing new medicines with our partners across QUB, in Almac Discovery, and beyond."

Professor Tim Harrison, Vice President of Almac Discovery said:

“Creating this industry-facing, university-based facility represents a unique opportunity to provide a step-change in proteomics-based experimental capabilities in Northern Ireland.

“Our vision is to build an internationally recognised resource comprising chemical probes, experimental capabilities, and proteomics expertise which will accelerate the research and development programmes of regional, national and international industrial and academic partners.”

Professor Christopher Scott, Dean of Research, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Queen’s, said:

“We are delighted to see this new exciting initiative which will drive the research capabilities of both Queen’s and Almac. Our vision is that this Centre of Excellence will become a national asset that can help support broader research and education pipelines nationally”.

The Centre of Excellence will also enhance Northern Ireland’s drug discovery research capabilities, providing skills training for apprenticeships through to doctoral researchers.

Media

Media enquiries to Queen’s Communications Office on email: comms.office@qub.ac.uk or Tel: (028) 9097 3091

Share
Latest News
  • Black tea and berries could contribute to healthier ageing, research shows
    6 May, 2025
  • Managing Nature Based Risks to the UK Economy and Opportunities for Green Finance
    8 April, 2025
  • Stop chewing: New research reveals the shocking number of microplastics in a single piece of gum
    4 April, 2025
  • Research reveals that Northern Ireland is feeling strain of climate change
    3 April, 2025
  • Animals in cities are adapting to climate change, research shows
    24 February, 2025
News
  • The Institute for Global Food Security
  • News Archive 2022
  • News Archive 2021
  • Covid-19 and Food podcast
  • News Archive 2020
  • News Archive 2019
  • News Archive 2018
  • News Archive 2017
  • News Archive 2016
QUB Logo
Contact Us

Institute for Global Food Security
Biological Sciences Building
19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast
BT9 5DL

Email: IGFS@qub.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 6514

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Research
  • Study
  • Partnerships

 

© Queen's University Belfast 2024
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Website accessibility
  • Freedom of information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • University Policies and Procedures
Information
  • Privacy and cookies
  • Website accessibility
  • Freedom of information
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
  • University Policies and Procedures

© Queen's University Belfast 2024

Manage cookies