Two heavyweights in Irish research, University College Dublin and Trinity College, have joined forces to establish the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre (DMMC). The new body will study the role of genetic factors in the development and treatment of human diseases and will co-ordinate the work of more than 300 academic and student researchers.
The centre benefits from Higher Education Authority funding available under the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). The DMMC won a third of funding available under Cycle 2, receiving £21 million of £62 million awarded.
The DMMC will draw on research capabilities in UCD's Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research and Trinity's Institute for Molecular Medicine.
The idea arose about a year ago, and the proposal was put together by Prof Hugh Brady of UCD and Trinity's Prof Dermot Kelleher.
The plan took some by surprise, given the history of rivalry between the two institutions, but the universities themselves were somewhat surprised by this view, Prof Brady explained.
"The reaction was intriguing for us because we were amazed at people's amazement," he said. The idea grew out of existing collaboration which had 10 or 15 "new generation researchers" moving back and forth between the two city campuses, he said.
To embark on a bigger collaborative venture was a natural progression, Prof Brady added. There was also an emphasis under Cycle 2 funding on intra-institutional links.
There was also a need to build resources to fend off competition from abroad. Many now viewed competition as international, not local, he said, adding that "it was only by getting together" that it was possible to approximate the size and scope of competing research units in Britain.
Eight "research platforms" have been designated, reflecting strengths within the two universities. There will be a genomic scanning platform which includes an "Irish gene bank"; an advanced DNA micro-array unit; a proteomic development group; a bio-information platform; a structural biology unit offering X-ray crystallography and NMR facilities; a single cell gene expression and function platform; an analysis unit for the genomics of human tissues; and a transgene and gene knockout platform.
The Irish Gene Bank is a collection of DNA samples which researchers will use to study common acquired diseases in Ireland. The hope is to identify disease susceptibility genes and uncover new treatment methods for patients with these inherited disorders.
Members of each platform will form a co-ordinating group to make decisions on funding. An interim board has been established and the DMMC's structure will be finalised in about 12 months, Prof Brady said.
It is assumed student researchers will move between the two campuses. This crosscampus approach will be even more obvious with the decision to establish a chair of bioethics and a department of bioethics. Prof Brady thought it was the first time the two universities had collaborated on a joint research chair. The department will also straddle campuses.
Other agreements include one on control of intellectual property generated by the DMMC. A draft technology agreement was being developed, he said, and would be in place in time to protect new discoveries.
There are several areas where the DMMC will place an early emphasis. Cancer research will be a key area, including how genes play a role in the development of malignancy.
Coeliac disease, characterised by an "allergy" to wheat proteins, will be studied, an important area given the relatively high incidence of the disease here.
The genetics of arthritis and the genetic mechanisms involved in inflammation are on this list.
Diabetic kidney disease will also form part of the early work schedule, as well as diseases which lead to chronic renal failure requiring dialysis or transplantation.