News Release Communique
GlaxoSmithKline Commits $500,000 for First-in-Canada Research Chair Linked to U of S-owned Canadian Light Source
-- Saskatchewan government also commits matching money
SASKATOON, SK. GlaxoSmithKline, one of the country's leading research-based pharmaceutical companies, will provide a $500,000 endowment to help create Canada's first designated research chair in synchrotron science.
The funding, to be matched by Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development and potentially other partners, will enable the University of Saskatchewan to hire an expert in research leading to the design of new drugs. The Chair holder will carry out research at the new national synchrotron facility -- the Canadian Light Source -- now under construction on the U of S campus.
The endowment was announced today at a dedication ceremony for the newly constructed, stadium-sized building that will house the CLS synchrotron. The U of S-owned CLS will begin operations in January of 2004.
"This new Chair will help create a centre of excellence in medically important areas of synchrotron science at the U of S and could lead to the development of new drugs using the CLS synchrotron on our campus," said U of S President Peter MacKinnon. "Training of graduate students in these leading-edge and high-demand areas of research and development will also be enhanced."
GlaxoSmithKline, a top 20 investor in Canadian research and development (R&D), will provide $100,000 for each of the next five years for the new Chair. The U of S will establish a process to appoint the first holder of the Chair.
"The investment is part of GlaxoSmithKline's Pathfinders Fund for Leaders in Canadian Health Science Research," said Geoffrey Mitchinson, Vice-President of Public Affairs. "The goal of the $10-million fund is to create a research position in every Canadian medical school. GlaxoSmithKline is committed to helping Canada become a global leader in R&D by providing opportunities for Canada's talented scientists and researchers."
One possible area of research supported by the endowment will be structural biology. Structural biologists use synchrotron light and other imaging technologies to study the structure of large molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. This information can be used to determine the receptor sites on proteins where drug molecules can bind and modify protein function. For instance, binding a drug molecule to a protein involved in cancer processes can kill the cancer cells.
Structural biology has become increasingly important now that the Genome Project has identified the approximately 30,000 genes in human DNA. Synchrotron light is the premiere tool for investigating the three-dimensional structure of proteins encoded by genes.
New uses for synchrotron light in medical research are rapidly being developed. For instance, infrared light produced at synchrotrons is being used to study a number of diseases including osteoporosis and Alzheimer's disease.
As well, the potential of using synchrotron light for medical imaging is causing increasing excitement. Studies are underway to explore the use of synchrotron light for angiography (study of the inside of the heart and blood vessels) and mammography.
Construction of the $173.5-million CLS facility is on time and on budget. A synchrotron is a huge device that accelerates a stream of electrons and manipulates them to create a beam of light billions of times brighter than the sun. This light can then be used by industrial and university researchers as a new tool to observe structures and chemical reactions at the molecular and atomic levels.
The CLS is owned by the U of S. CLS construction is mainly funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian government, the Saskatchewan government, the Alberta government, Ontario Innovation Trust, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, University of Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon and SaskPower.
GlaxoSmithKline - one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies - is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. GlaxoSmithKline employs more than 1,800 people in Canada, of which approximately 400 are R&D staff. The company invests more than $100 million annually in Canadian research and development and is one the country's top 10 corporate charitable donors.
Information on CLS is available from the www.lightsource.ca.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice President Research
(306) 966-2506 Phone
(306) 966-2411 Fax
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Janet Ko
Manager, Corporate Communications
GlaxoSmithKline
(905) 819-3022
Fax: (905) 819-3093
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:45