RiboTargets opens Structural Biology Unit in York
17 June 2002
RiboTargets, a structure-based drug discovery company that develops novel anti-bacterial and anti-cancer therapeutics, has begun research at its new facilities in the recently opened York Bioincubator building.
Headed by Rod Hubbard, Director of Structural Sciences for RiboTargets and Professor of Structural Biology at York University, the operation has been set up to utilise the world renowned expertise of York’s Structural Biology Laboratory.
RiboTargets, who are headquartered in Cambridge, UK, are the first tenant to move into the flagship incubator and have installed specialised X-ray diffraction and computing equipment to determine high-resolution protein structures at high throughput. Professor Hubbard’s team of specialist structural biologists demonstrated their expertise by elucidating the crystal structures of various ligands bound to the chaperone protein, HSP90. This research was completed within two weeks of the team moving into the facility and forms part of RiboTargets’ portfolio of anti-cancer therapeutics programmes. The HSP90 study is being performed in collaboration with the Institute of Cancer Research.
Simon Sturge, RiboTargets’ CEO, commented, "York has a concentration of structural biology expertise, the infrastructure and a world-class reputation for research, that makes it the natural choice for locating this research and development centre. The work being carried out will accelerate our discovery activities, particularly in anti-cancer."
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