University of Birmingham and GIBH in China collaborate to develop new drugs for global epidemics

Scientists from the University of Birmingham are collaborating with partners at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health (GIBH), China, for the development of new drugs that could help tackle global epidemics.

The university of Birmingham researchers have already identified a number of compounds that are looking promising as potential therapeutic treatments and the technology transfer company of the university, the University of Birmingham Enterprise, is optimistic that the collaboration will result in new drugs for infectious diseases.

The chemistry for drug candidates is designed by a team of Birmingham researchers, led by Professor John Fossey, reader in Synthetic Chemistry, and Dr Luke Alderwick, director of the Birmingham Drug Discovery Facility.

These drug candidates will then be taken by a team of expert GIBH researchers who will design and synthesize new molecules with better drug-like properties.

Testing of the biological activity of the resulting molecules will then be performed by both institutions before the molecules are optimised further.

The overall process will be expedited through sharing of data through the University of Birmingham’s BEAR DataShare facility, which was developed at the University to enable secure sharing of project-related data across the world even via mobile phone.

The University of Birmingham has a long-standing relationship with the city of Guangzhou, which is also the sister city of Birmingham itself. The University opened its Guangzhou Centre in 2011 and its China Institute has forged close links with partners in the city and beyond.

GIBH is a high-profile research institute, run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the People’s Government of Guangzhou Municipality. Research areas include stem cell and regenerative medicine, chemical biology, public health, immunology and infectious diseases.