MSc by Research: Clustering the protein universe across the Tree of Life to enhance drug discovery

Drug discovery is the systematic process of identifying and optimizing molecular compounds to develop targeted medications for medical conditions. While proven hugely successful in the past decades, conventional methodologies are often limited by extensive timelines, elevated costs, and alarmingly high failure rates. This project seeks to navigate through these challenges by exploring how the comprehensive power of comparative genomics and artificial intelligence can be leveraged when catalysed by the diversity of billions of proteins across the Tree of Life. 

This computational biology project centers around three pivotal objectives. Firstly, it seeks to identify novel drug targets by comparing the genomics of a myriad of biodiverse organisms to uncover evolutionary conserved or divergent molecular pathways with therapeutic potential. Secondly, it aims to discover bioactive compounds by probing through the genomes of various species to spotlight novel protein variants with prospective applications in human medicine. Lastly, the project seeks to prototype predictive models for drug efficacy and safety testing by quantifying the genetic variability found across different species and assessing their predictive power when employed to a more constrained variability known to exist in human populations. 

For this purpose, the appointed candidate will gain early access to our clustered protein universe, comprising 1.7 billion clusters derived from a vast 20 billion protein sequences spanning all sequenced species or strains across the Tree of Life (Buchfink et al., 2023). These protein sequences, processed using our search engine DIAMOND2 (Buchfink et al., 2021), each possess a taxonomic label (including 'unknown'). This comparative genomics approach will allow us to associate well-established molecular compounds such as ubiquitination pathways or ubiquitin-like protein families with the protein biodiversity found across a diverse range of species and microbial strains across the Tree of Life.   

We anticipate that this project will streamline early efforts to establish a comprehensive database of potential drug targets and bioactive compounds derived from the diversity of the protein universe across the Tree of Life. Such a database will facilitate further efforts to leverage the conservation and divergence of specific biological pathways and mechanisms across species for predictive models of therapeutic potential. 

While crafted for a Master's program, this project aspires to shed light on underexplored biological pathways, unveiling putative novel drug targets and therapeutics, thus bolstering the current arsenal for drug discovery. By harnessing the breadth of genomics at tree-of-life scale, the project aims to revitalize drug discovery techniques by introducing evolution-driven insights that might reshape the crafting of innovative and secure treatments. Moreover, its design holds the promise to develop into a PhD research agenda with potential to deliver tangible advancements in drug discovery when combined with artificial intelligence. 

Please see our website for further details on the programme:

Life Sciences MSc by Research MSc by Research (Postgraduate) : Study : University of Dundee

Please note before submitting your application that you must list your top three project choices in the Research Proposal section of the application form.

You apply for this course using our Direct Application System. Once you've signed up for an account you'll be asked to search for a course.

https://www.dundee.ac.uk/study/pgr/research-areas/life-sciences/

To find Life Science MSc by Research you should select the following options:

· Course type: Research Postgraduate

· Keyword: Life

When you complete your form, you should include your top 3 project choices, 2 letters of reference, uploaded under "Other Information" > "Supporting documents" and a personal statement. Failure to do so will delay your application.

Please note when submitting an application, please note our intake deadlines on the ‘how to apply’ section of our website