GRACE II: new horizons and consolidation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
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Technical Summary
The MRC Proximity to Discovery scheme awards universities funds to help develop new collaborations, and ways of exchanging knowledge and skills. The awards can be used to support activities that promote the value of academic-industry partnership, and enhance academic and industry researchers’ understanding of each other’s needs and capabilities. This may be through people exchanges, creation of technology demonstrators, showcase events, commercialisation workshops and ‘entrepreneurs in residence’ schemes. Such exchanges of knowledge and skills will boost the most fruitful collaborations between UK universities and life science companies.
People |
ORCID iD |
Publications
Biddau M
(2018)
Two essential Thioredoxins mediate apicoplast biogenesis, protein import, and gene expression in Toxoplasma gondii.
in PLoS pathogens
Blair CM
(2019)
Targeting B-Raf inhibitor resistant melanoma with novel cell penetrating peptide disrupters of PDE8A - C-Raf.
in BMC cancer
| Description | Glasgow - Confidence in Concept 2019 |
| Amount | £450,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MC_PC_19039 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2020 |
| End | 03/2023 |
| Description | IPP Studentship - Portage Pharmaceuticals Ltd |
| Amount | £103,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2017 |
| End | 03/2021 |
| Description | Redox regulation of protein functions in the plastid of Toxoplasma gondii |
| Amount | £333,615 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/S024573/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2019 |
| End | 09/2022 |
| Description | The Role of Universities in International Development |
| Amount | £2,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2017 |
| End | 11/2018 |
| Description | Versus Arthritis |
| Amount | £380,578 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Versus Arthritis |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2018 |
| End | 04/2021 |
| Description | Epeius Pharma/FuturX - PM Collab |
| Organisation | FutuRx |
| Country | Israel |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Epeius's CSO and Dr. Sheiner co-supervise a Pres Medicine student - Daniel Walsh. CSO of Epeius Pharma visited Glasgow for training within the tech transfer stage and established Toxoplasma cultures in FutuRx upon return. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Epeius's CSO and Dr. Sheiner co-supervise a Pres Medicine student - Daniel Walsh. CSO of Epeius Pharma established Toxoplasma cultures in FutuRx upon return. |
| Impact | Further funding awarded |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Medicines for Malaria Venture |
| Organisation | Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Partnership to help seek and generate networking opportunities to gain investment and industry collaborations. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Generation of networking opportunities |
| Impact | Industry negotiations now underway with potential manufacturer. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Portage Glasgow Ltd |
| Organisation | Portage Biotech Inc |
| Country | Virgin Islands, British |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Proximity to Discovery is the reason that Portage Glasgow Ltd (PGL) was formed by Portage Pharmaceuticals Ltd and the Univ. of Glasgow. Agreements precipitant to formation of the company, including license agreements were completed and are the bases of PGL. This stemmed from a Portage Glasgow lead compound in cancer or autoimmune diseases - development and publication strategy. Target selection in Treg cell pathways to produce a tumor immunity potentiator and a review of progress various receptor targets. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Developing a joint venture with Portage Pharmaceuticals Ltd (PPL): staff visit/exchange. Juvenesecnce has acquired Portage as of 2022. |
| Impact | Paper: 10.1186/s12885-019-5489-4 2 PhD studentships (Portage funded), PhD student, Connor Blair who worked on this project won "Young Innovator of the year" in a national competition. Patents: 130268-8001.US00, 130268-8002.US00 |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Validation of ATrx2 as a tractable anti-malarial target to enable drug discovery work |
| Organisation | GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) |
| Department | Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus |
| Country | Spain |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Glasgow developed the assay and runs the initial screen with GSK provided compounds. the PDRA is performing assay optimization and the initial screen of compounds provided from GSK. The screen will be performed at Glasgow until the optimal HTS format and identify key GSK compounds showing good inhibition. Consumables expense for protein projdcution and assay perfomance are covered by Glasgow. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Once the assay is HTS then the preparation and screen of further compounds will be done at GSK Tres cantos. An arm of GSK with specific interest and investment in R&D for anti-malarial drugs. Consumable expenses for production of compounds are covered by GSK |
| Impact | The project is muti-disciplinary with expertise in biology and chemistry. Outcomes During the course of the project, GSK have provided £30k in kind contribution. The partnership has enabled the generation of sufficient proof of concept for the activity assay as a tool to screen for target inhibitors; several inhibitory compounds has been identified that defines level of activity, which is important for screening. Discussions are ongoing with the drug discovery unit of GSK's Tres Cantos site who are hosting a PDRA to further enhance the throughput of the assay and to identify compounds with higher levels of inhibition. The two latter are critical milestones defined by GSK for eligibility to their Open Lab Foundation funding, which we hope to apply for to continue to develop this project |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Title | P53 PEPTIDE DISRUPTERS OF FOXO4:P53 PROTEIN BINDING, VARIANTS AND CONJUGATES THEREOF, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME FOR CAUSING SENOLYSIS AND/OR TREATMENT OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES |
| Description | Ion channels are implicated in a wide range of physiological functions, including electrical signal transduction, chemical signaling, trans-epithelial transport, muscle contraction, hormone secretion, and regulation of ion concentrations, pH, and cell volume. Ion channel dysfunction has been associated with diseases in various tissues, such as pancreas, bone, kidney, central nervous system ("CNS"), heart, gastrointestinal system, and retina. Much of the ion channel family of proteins remains unexplored as drug targets. Thus, new methods and compositions that target ion channels or proteins thereof for the treatment and/or amelioration or prevention of ion-channel-related diseases and/or conditions are needed. |
| IP Reference | US20200262877A1 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2018 |
| Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
| Impact | Led on from "STRUCTURE, MANUFACTURING AND USES OF HOXD12-PDE8A CELL-PENETRATING PEPTIDES," WO2020163771A1. |
| Title | STRUCTURE, MANUFACTURING AND USES OF HOXD12-PDE8A CELL-PENETRATING PEPTIDES |
| Description | Embodiments disclosed herein provide compositions for conjugates, including fusion proteins, and methods of using them to treat a variety of conditions, including cancer and/or autoimmune diseases. In some embodiments, the conjugates and/or fusion proteins incorporate a homeodomain (e.g., peptides derived from human HOX genes), to translocate functional and regulatory peptides and proteins or other biologically active molecules such as nucleic acids, which are not naturally associated with the human homeodomain, across cell and nuclear membranes to intended sites of action without provoking an unwanted immune response that may reduce exposure to the conjugate and/or result in a clinical adverse event. In further embodiments, disclosed conjugates and fusion proteins include a cAMP-degrading phosphodiesterase-8A (PDE8A) - C-Raf complex. In various embodiments, the disclosed compositions are suitable for delivery into a cell (i) the expression product of a gene of interest and/or (ii) novel peptides or polynucleotides to regulate gene function. |
| IP Reference | WO2020163771 |
| Protection | Patent application published |
| Year Protection Granted | 2020 |
| Licensed | Commercial In Confidence |
| Impact | Development of other IP, including US20200262877A1, "P53 PEPTIDE DISRUPTERS OF FOXO4:P53 PROTEIN BINDING, VARIANTS AND CONJUGATES THEREOF, AND ASSOCIATED METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME FOR CAUSING SENOLYSIS AND/OR TREATMENT OF AGE-RELATED DISEASES." |
| Description | "Innovation for Collaboration" Industry Day - 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Objectives: • To showcase the University of Glasgow's innovation activities and provide Innovate-UK with a platform to promote Scotland's engagement with the Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund; • To broker introductions between academics, industry and NHS through facilitated workshops and match making. 155 delegates attended (89 academic, 66 NHS and Industry); • 4 interactive workshop sessions including 2 tailored around identified training needs and opportunities for collaboration; • Provided a forum for engagement of industry with Scotland's BEIS Science and Innovation Audit on Precision Medicine; • One attending SME has re-located to Glasgow's Clinical Innovation Zone and partnered with the University to bring an international IEEE Conference on "Blockchain for Clinical Trials" to Glasgow - attracting 170 registered attendees. Workshops - "Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund - Developing Connections" Objectives: • To provide an overview of the Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund, in particular the 'Data to early diagnosis and precision medicine challenge' • The opportunity to present Offers (e.g. expertise, technologies, approaches, cohorts, infrastructure) to enable identification and development of potential consortia to apply for ISCF funding • The opportunity to identify specific Needs (e.g. skills, products, expert advice, access to data, samples etc) to support current activities/potential consortia aligned with ISCF funding opportunities. • The opportunity to meet and talk with partners from different sectors, and consider potential collaborative funding bids. Outcomes Needs and offers presented by 20 participants facilitating discussion and further networking; • A pan-Scotland consortium was established which successfully bid for the ISCF Centres of Excellence in Digital Pathology and Radiology - resulting in £15m of funding for a consortium of 17 partners from industry, academia and the NHS. Workshop - "Novel Diagnostics: from Bench to Bedside" Objectives: • To provide an understanding of the role of health technology assessment in diagnostic development; • To introduce the evidentiary requirements for adoption of diagnostics; • To provide an understanding of the NICE diagnostic assessment programme. Outcomes An industry case study (Roche Diagnostics) highlighted the challenges associated with the adoption of diagnostics into practice in the real- world setting; • Strengthened the relationship with Roche Diagnostics who subsequently partnered in a Centre for Doctoral Training application; • Attended by 40 delegates from across academia, industry and the NHS. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_620272_en.html |
| Description | Imaging for Therapeutic Discovery & Clinical Development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Objectives: • Exploring current imaging market and needs; • Understanding challenges and changes anticipated in future; • Ensure stakeholders are aware of the capabilities and resource available at the Imaging Centre of Excellence; • Identify future opportunities in imaging technologies working collaboratively with NHS and Industry to address clinical therapeutic development. Outcomes 23 delegates attended - 8 external, 5 clinical and 10 academic; • External attendees introduced to portfolio of imaging applications currently available in Glasgow; • Industry case study of potential way in which a triple helix collaboration around imaging can be exploited; • Requests for further information on current activities by industry to promote potential opportunities across their organisations; 15 'offers' and 10 'needs' identified by attendees across a range of areas including image analysis, technical development and data processing, to allow targeted follow on discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | MRC / EPSRC Glasgow Molecular Pathology Node Symposium 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Objectives: • To promote the activities of the Glasgow Molecular Pathology Node; • To provide opportunities academic-industry engagement. Outcomes 145 attendees across academia, industry and NHS (30 industry) with 9 industry exhibitors including 4 posters and 5 presentations from industry; • Facilitated discussion between MVLS researchers and BMS with opportunities for collaboration identified and a further meeting organised for Q1 2019; • Provided opportunities for further academic-industry engagement (Agilent, Menarini, Sistemic). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Promoting partnerships: precision diagnostics molecular and imaging network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 46 people from three stakeholder groups (Industry 19 participants; NHS 7 participants; university of Glasgow 20 participants) attended a workshop which was aimed at: ensuring that stakeholders' group are aware of what the Glasgow Molecular Pathology node can offer; to support the community develop actions in order to work together effectively and to enable industry discussions with NHS / Academic staff to find concrete opportunities for projects. As a result of this workshop 4 collaborations are being actively pursued. Additionally a network has been established and the group meeting every 2 months, providing a forum for academic-industry engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Scottish Centre for Macromolecular Imaging (SCMI) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Showcase the technology offered by the state of the art centre; • Discussion with world leaders in cryogenic electron microscopy (CryoEM) including the Nobel Laureate Richard Henderson. 160 attendees from academia and industry; • £10k of industry sponsorship; • Consolidation of relationship with researchers from the Cellular and Structural Physiology Institute, Nagoya University and Osaka University; • Developing relationship with the EM manufacturer, JEOL, with a view to improving instrument capabilities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Scottish Life Sciences Annual Dinner |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Objectives: • Scottish Life Science Association is Scotland's trade body for Life Sciences and has 130 life science organisation members; • To strengthen our relationship with SLA and to bring the event to Glasgow for the first time; • To promote the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences reputation in precision medicine through engaging with industry; • Promote Industry Day (2018) to increase participation and expand network. Outcomes The University research and innovation strengths were promoted through keynote speakers and social media campaigns associated with the dinner to over 750 delegates from Scotland's Life Science community; • Engagement with the BEIS Science and Innovation Audit on Scotland's Strengths in Precision Medicine was enhanced through access to an online survey during the event (25% of respondents); Strengthened relationship with SLA, who will partner with us again for the 2019 annual dinner. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Sustaining Public and Patient Involvement: building a resource |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
| Results and Impact | Objectives: • To ensure that research is carried out in the best interest of patients' and meets the needs of the public; • To embed PPI into MVLS and thereby develop a capacity building programme among researchers to provide training, support and mentoring to deliver effective PPI. Outcomes Completed interviews across MVLS, collated the first draft of the mapping report and highlighted several case study exemplars; • Two major meetings for academics and PPI representatives; • Recruited 10 PPI reps for the steering group; • Scheduled training for staff across MVLS for 2019; • £25k of match funding from Wellcome Trust ISSF. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Toxo2022 Epeius Pharma talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Tech transfer through reciprocal visits for training and through participation and sponsorship that Epeius Pharma is providing to international conference of Toxoplasmosis such as the recent Toxo2022, where Epeius provided a sponsor talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |