Webpage: http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/biology and http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/iii/

General description
The ‘Molecular Pharmacology Group’ at the University of Glasgow is lead by Graeme Milligan and has been identified as one of the leading GPCR teams in the world. The team focuses on the pharmacology, structure and regulation of GPCRs and their interacting proteins and how the behaviour of GPCRs can be adapted to develop novel platforms for early stage drug discovery. The Molecular Pharmacology Group has published nearly 500 papers and their studies have been cited more than 16,000 times. The Chemokine Research Group (CRG) at the University of Glasgow is lead by Gerry Graham and represents one of the largest collections of chemokine researchers in Europe (www.chemokineresearchgroup.org). CRG has over 25 years of experience of working with chemokines and their receptors during which time it has made fundamental contributions to this important field. Most recently CRG researchers have been at the forefront of atypical chemokine receptor biology.

Key research facilities, infrastructures and equipment
UGLA is the lead academic partner for an ‘Innovation centre’ in personalised medicine using next generation genomic sequencing and analysis to promote personalised medicine and decrease attrition potential withdrawal of medicines. The Molecular Pharmacology Group is underpinned by state of the art facilities including the Glasgow Polyomics Facility that provides a full array of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses. High-end imaging capabilities allow millisecond kinetic analysis of ligand binding and debinding from GPCRs. Physiological outcomes of GPCR activation are integrated into the work via direct links with the Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences and Inflammation Research Institutes of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences College of University of Glasgow. Collaborations with a wide range of companies within the pharmaceutical industry has resulted in a series of successful outcomes. The group has also trained many early career researchers who have subsequently moved to work for European SMEs. This includes both Heptares and Vivia who are partners within INSIGHT. The chemokine research group has expertise in receptor cloning and biochemistry as well as in advanced and complex animal models of chemokine receptor function. CRG is well-equipped for the proposed study and also benefits from access to all the facilities mentioned above.

Project members

Prof. Dr. Graeme Milligan – Professor of Molecular Pharmacology with 30 years experience in GPCR pharmacology and regulation. Currently member of the Scientific Advisory Board of three SMEs involved in the development of novel strategies to target GPCRs in a therapeutic context. More than 30 graduated PhDs Prof.

Prof. Dr. Gerard Graham – Professor of Molecular and Structural Immunology with 25 years experience of chemokine research. Currently a member of the Wellcome Trust Expert Review Group in Immunity in Health and Disease and previously a member of the Medical Research Council Infections and Immunity Board. Professor Graham is also on the scientific steering committee of Glasgow Science Centre.