Posted 10 December 2013
Minister Sherlock officially opens Systems Biology Ireland at UCD
The Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock TD has officially opened the research facility for Systems Biology Ireland at University College Dublin.
Supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Science Foundation Ireland, Systems Biology Ireland combines the power of computers and modern biology to understand diseases such as cancer and develops diagnostics and therapies that are tailored to the individual patient.
Finding the right drug for the right patient is a major problem, especially in cancer therapy where often only one third of patients respond to treatment. By 2020, Systems Biology Ireland’s research programme aims to significantly increase the number of patients that cancer drugs work for.
Prof. Walter Kolch, Director Systems Biology Ireland; Sean Sherlock TD, Minister of State for Research and Innovation; Hugh Brady, President UCD and Prof. Boris Kholodenko, Associate Director, Systems Biology Ireland
“This magnificent new facility is a major step that will enable Systems Biology Ireland to lead in the advancement of personalised medicine on a global scale, and in a key area prioritised for investment under Horizon 2020,” said Minister Sherlock.
“The establishment of a purpose-built, world class facility of this calibre, supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Science Foundation Ireland and the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions, is a notable achievement for Ireland.”
“To really take advantage of the new drugs becoming available for targeted therapies, we urgently need the telescopic sights that will allow us to take each patient’s cancer into the crosshairs individually. Systems Biology Ireland is developing these sights,” said Professor Walter Kolch, Director of Systems Biology Ireland.
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
