Development of a Chemoproteomics Centre of Excellence: A Prosperity Partnership for Drug Discovery in Northern Ireland

在BBSRC的这一繁荣伙伴关系中，贝尔法斯特女王大学(QUB)和Almac Discovery将结合他们的联合专业知识，在QUB内创建一个新的最先进的卓越化学蛋白质组学中心；这将是北爱尔兰地区的第一个此类中心。具体地说，我们将利用繁荣伙伴关系共同开发一种新的质谱学蛋白质组学工具，该工具可以研究治疗药物和类药物分子(“化学探针”)处理的细胞和组织中蛋白质的分子变化。这一设施建立在基础生物研究和早期药物发现(ALMAC)合作伙伴之间的良好关系基础上，利用了QUB研究人员在三个大学研究中心(癌症、实验医学和制药)的质谱学和基础和转译生物学研究(即炎症、细胞死亡和离子通道)方面的能力和最先进的专业知识。英才中心将提供全新的化学工具，开辟生物学的新领域，并提供一个对双方都有利的质谱学平台，从而使尖端生物研究和药物发现成为可能。根据设想，该设施将为其他合作者，包括学术界和工业界，提供推进其基础研究和研发组合的机会，并提供一种商业模式，确保该英才中心在本项目结束后将继续支持该地区的学术和工业研发。英才中心不仅将加强我们的区域能力，还将通过博士研究人员为学徒提供技能培训，并以新药、知识产权和高质量学术出版物(声誉)的形式创造价值。因此，卓越中心将鼓励北爱尔兰的外来投资和行业增长，帮助提升北爱尔兰生命科学部门对更广泛的英国经济的能力和贡献。这与区域(10倍经济，经济部)和生命科学愿景(英国)战略是一致的。我们的终极愿景是建立一个国际公认的区域资源，其化学探测器、实验能力、知识和专业知识可以帮助其他区域、国家和国际工业和学术合作伙伴的研究和开发计划。因此，这个面向行业、以大学为基础的设施的创建代表着一个独特的机会，可以在北爱尔兰提供基于蛋白质组学的实验能力的阶段性变化。

In this BBSRC Prosperity Partnership, Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Almac Discovery will bring together their joint expertise to create a new state-of-the-art Chemoproteomics Centre of Excellence situated within QUB; this will be the first of its kind in the Northern Ireland region. Specifically, we will use the Prosperity Partnership to co-develop a new mass spectrometry proteomics facility that can study molecular changes in proteins from cells and tissues treated with therapeutic drugs and drug-like molecules ("chemical probes"). This facility builds on a well-established relationship between the partners in basic biological research and early-stage drug discovery (Almac), leveraging the capabilities and state-of-the-art expertise of QUB researchers in mass spectrometry and basic and translational biological research (namely inflammation, cell death and ion channels) across three University Research Centres (Cancer, Experimental Medicine and Pharmacy). The Centre of Excellence will provide completely new chemical tools that will open new areas of biology and a mass spectrometry platform that will benefit both partners, thereby enabling cutting-edge biological research and drug discovery. It is also envisaged that this facility will provide opportunities for other collaborators, both academic and industrial, to advance their basic research and R&D portfolios, providing a business model that will ensure that this Centre of Excellence will continue to support academic and industrial R&D in the region beyond the life of this project. Not only will the Centre of Excellence enhance our regional capabilities, it will also provide skills training for apprenticeships through to doctoral researchers and create value in the forms of new drugs, intellectual property and high quality academic publications (reputation). Thus, the Centre of Excellence will encourage inward investment and sectorial growth in Northern Ireland, helping to "level up" the capacity and contribution of the Northern Ireland Life Sciences sector to the broader UK economy. This is in line with both regional (10X economy, Department for Economy) and Life Sciences Vision (UK) strategies. Our ultimate vision is to build an internationally recognised regional resource whose chemical probes, experimental capabilities, knowledge and expertise can assist the research and development programmes of other regional, national and international industrial and academic partners. Thus, the creation of this industry-facing, University-based facility represents a unique opportunity to provide a step-change in proteomics-based experimental capabilities in Northern Ireland.