Projects per year
Personal profile
Research
The Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) within the College of Life Sciences at Dundee has been created to respond to our perceived lack of capacity in the UK for early stage drug discovery in the academic sector. The DDU’s aim is to translate basic science into lead compounds to validate putative drug targets, to use as tools to investigate disease pathways and, when appropriate, advance to pre-clinical drug candidates. The DDU works to Biotech style philosophy and standards incorporating; dynamic, goal driven project management based on Target Product Profiles and Compound Selection Criteria. The DDU is the only fully operational and integrated drug discovery team within UK universities with the full range of disciplines including compound management, screening, molecular pharmacology/enzymology, medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, DMPK and disease model capabilities, required to produce novel hit and lead candidates.
Since its inception the Unit has developed an international reputation as a leader in the growing academic drug discovery sector.
As Head of Biology within the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU),my role is to develop strategies for people, facilities, equipment and IT to allow the effective support of hit discovery, hits to leads and lead optimisation programs.
We currently support two broad areas, these being neglected diseases (malaria, leishmania, sleeping sickness, TB and Chagas’ disease) and innovative targets; a portfolio to translate new biological findings from Dundee and beyond. We conduct assay development, small molecule screening and an extensive array of mechanism of action and other supporting biology to define and characterise small molecule tools suitable for use in primary biological research and drug discovery.
Teaching
Course coordinator BS32003 – Drug Discovery & Development
BS42004 – Advanced Modern Drug Discovery
M.Res Cancer Biology
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, University of London
Award Date: 1 Jan 1992
Bachelor of Science, University of Glasgow
Award Date: 1 Jan 1988
Keywords
- RM Therapeutics. Pharmacology
- drug discovery
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Harnessing the splicing code for targeted control of gene expression (UNLEASH)
Gray, D. (Investigator) & Lamond, A. (Investigator)
1/06/23 → 31/05/29
Project: Research
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MRC IAA 2021 University of Dundee
Ferguson, M. (Investigator), Gilbert, I. (Investigator), Gray, D. (Investigator) & Read, K. (Investigator)
1/04/22 → 31/03/26
Project: Research
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Drug Discovery Collaboration - Tau Seeding
Gray, D. (Investigator)
1/03/19 → 11/09/26
Project: Research
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Wellcome Centre for Anti-Infectives Research
Cook, S. (Investigator), De Rycker, M. (Investigator), Fairlamb, A. (Investigator), Ferguson, M. (Investigator), Field, M. (Investigator), Gilbert, I. (Investigator), Gray, D. (Investigator), Horn, D. (Investigator), Pawlowic, M. C. (Investigator), Read, K. (Investigator), Wyatt, P. (Investigator) & Wyllie, S. (Investigator)
1/04/17 → 31/03/25
Project: Research
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Predictive Assays for Detecting and Explaining Compound Toxicity in Drug Discovery
Gilbert, I. (Investigator), Gray, D. (Investigator) & Green, C. (Investigator)
Project: Research
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Application of an NMR/Crystallography Fragment Screening Platform for the Assessment and Rapid Discovery of New HIV-CA Binding Fragments
Lang, S., Fletcher, D. A., Petit, A.-P., Luise, N., Fyfe, P., Zuccotto, F., Porter, D., Hope, A., Bellany, F., Kerr, C., Mackenzie, C. J., Wyatt, P. G. & Gray, D. W. (Lead / Corresponding author), 2 Jul 2024, In: ChemMedChem. 19, 13, 12 p., e202400025.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile62 Downloads (Pure) -
Identification and Validation of Compounds Targeting Leishmania major Leucyl-Aminopeptidase M17
Aguado, M. E., Carvalho, S., Valdés-Tresanco, M. E., Lin, D., Padilla-Mejia, N., Corpas-Lopez, V., Tesařová, M., Lukeš, J., Gray, D., González-Bacerio, J. (Lead / Corresponding author), Wyllie, S. (Lead / Corresponding author) & Field, M. C. (Lead / Corresponding author), 14 Jun 2024, In: ACS Infectious Diseases. 10, 6, p. 2002-2017 16 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)57 Downloads (Pure) -
Identification of a potent and selective LAPTc inhibitor by RapidFire-Mass Spectrometry, with antichagasic activity
Izquierdo, M., Lin, D., O'Neill, S., Webster, L. A., Paterson, C., Thomas, J., Aguado, M. E., Colina Araújo, E., Alpízar-Pedraza, D., Joji, H., MacLean, L., Hope, A., Gray, D. W., Zoltner, M., Field, M. C., González-Bacerio, J. (Lead / Corresponding author) & De Rycker, M. (Lead / Corresponding author), 15 Feb 2024, In: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 18, 2, 20 p., e0011956.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)63 Downloads (Pure) -
Pharmacological and structural understanding of the Trypanosoma cruzi proteasome provides key insights for developing site-specific inhibitors
Eadsforth, T., Torrie, L., Rowland, P., Edgar, E. V., MacLean, L., Paterson, C., Robinson, D. A., Shepherd, S. M., Thomas, J., Thomas, M., Gray, D., Postis, V. & De Rycker, M. (Lead / Corresponding author), 3 Dec 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. 108049.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Assessment of the drugability of initial malaria infection through miniaturized sporozoite assays and high-throughput screening
Miglianico, M., Bolscher, J. M., Vos, M. W., Koolen, K. J. M., de Bruijni, M., Rajagopal, D. S., Chen, E., Kiczun, M., Gray, D., Campo, B., Sauerwein, R. W. & Dechering, K. J. (Lead / Corresponding author), 23 Feb 2023, In: Communications Biology. 6, 10 p., 216.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Citations (Scopus)99 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Industry and Academic Collaboration Award
De Rycker, M. (Recipient), Gilbert, I. (Recipient), Read, K. (Recipient), Wyllie, S. (Recipient), Wyatt, P. (Recipient), Gray, D. (Recipient), Thomas, M. (Recipient), Brand, S. (Recipient), McGonagle, K. (Recipient), Dodd, P. (Recipient), Dunne, J. (Recipient), MacLean, L. (Recipient), Thomas, J. (Recipient), Manthri, S. (Recipient), Paterson, C. (Recipient), Stojanovski, L. (Recipient), Pinto, E. (Recipient), Ferguson, L. (Recipient), Simeons, F. (Recipient), Torrie, L. (Recipient), Robinson, D. (Recipient), Riley, J. (Recipient), Frame, L. (Recipient), Garcia Sanchez, M. (Recipient), Da Silva Pacheco, J. (Recipient), Miles, T. (Recipient), Fiandor, J. M. (Recipient), Martin, J. J. (Recipient), Marco, M. (Recipient), Gonzalez, S. (Recipient), Cantizani, J. (Recipient), Cotillo, I. (Recipient) & Manzano, M. P. (Recipient), 12 Apr 2023
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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BHF translational awards committee
Gray, D. (Member)
2024 → 2027Activity: Other activity types › Other
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Society for Medicines Research
Gray, D. (Speaker)
26 Mar 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Accessibility Video Project - Opening our Doors to the Public
Cameron, A. (Organiser), Soave, S. (Contributor), Stanley-Wall, N. (Contributor), Rosazza, T. (Contributor), Ganley, I. (Contributor), Singh, F. (Contributor), Sammler, E. (Contributor), Filipe Soares, R. (Contributor), Spinelli, L. (Contributor), Findlay, G. (Contributor), Hogg, E. (Contributor), Espejo Serrano, C. (Contributor), Prescott, A. (Contributor), Januschke, J. (Contributor), Pelisch, F. (Contributor), Bel Borja, L. (Contributor), Horn, D. (Contributor), Ridgway, M. (Contributor), Owen-Hughes, T. (Contributor), Sundaramoorthy, R. (Contributor), Barton, G. (Contributor), Sknepnek, R. (Contributor), Zachariae, U. (Contributor), Duce, S. (Contributor), McKim, S. (Contributor), Pugh, L. (Contributor), Griffin, J. (Contributor), Hein, I. (Contributor), Gilroy, E. M. (Contributor), McKenzie, G. (Contributor), Ly, T. (Contributor), Kar, A. (Contributor), Hastie, J. (Contributor), Postis, V. (Contributor), Dawson, A. (Contributor), Fyfe, P. (Contributor), Semenova, O. (Contributor), Robinson, D. (Contributor), Gray, D. (Contributor), Cabrita Gulyurtlu, S. (Contributor), Zollman, D. (Contributor), Spiteri, V. (Contributor) & Webb, T. (Contributor)
2022 → …Activity: Other activity types › Other
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Open Targets Symposium
Gray, D. (Speaker)
25 May 2021Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Bang goes the Border 2021
Duce, S. (Contributor), Gray, D. (Contributor), Keir, H. (Contributor), Rogers, A. (Contributor) & Gilbert, I. (Chair)
18 Sept 2021Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Festival/Exhibition
Press/Media
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GSK and the University of Dundee announce new collaboration to develop treatment for Huntington's disease
Schweiger, S., Langston, R., Lambert, J. J. & Gray, D.
14/12/11
2 items of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research