Structural Genomics Consortium
Encyclopedia
The Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) is a not-for-profit organization formed in 2004 to determine the three dimensional structures of protein
s of medical relevance, and place them in the Protein Data Bank
without restriction. The SGC operates out of the Universities of Oxford
and Toronto
and Karolinska Institutet
, Stockholm
and is supported by funding from the Wellcome Trust
, GSK
, Novartis
, Merck
, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and the Canadian, Ontario and Swedish governments. The SGC accounts for ~30% of the global output of new human protein structures each year, and ~50% of the annual global output of structures of proteins from human parasites. The SGC target proteins have relevance to human health and disease, such as diabetes, cancer
and infectious diseases such as malaria
.
The SGC is also spearheading an "open access" chemistry partnership - a new model for pre-competitive drug discovery in which the public and private sectors collaborate to generate potent and selective pharmacological inhibitors of human proteins that regulate epigenetic signalling, and commit to make these reagents available without restriction on use.
The SGC is headed by Aled Edwards
(CEO/Director). Operations at each site are managed by a Chief Scientist - Cheryl Arrowsmith
in Toronto
, Canada
; Chas Bountra in Oxford
, UK and Johan Weigelt (Associate Director) in Stockholm
, Sweden
.
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
s of medical relevance, and place them in the Protein Data Bank
Protein Data Bank
The Protein Data Bank is a repository for the 3-D structural data of large biological molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids....
without restriction. The SGC operates out of the Universities of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
and Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
and Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
, Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and is supported by funding from the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
, GSK
GSK
GSK could refer to:* Get Started Kit * GlaxoSmithKline , a multinational pharmaceutical corporation* Global Security Kit, a cryptographic programming library by IBM* GSK-3, a protein kinase...
, Novartis
Novartis
Novartis International AG is a multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, ranking number three in sales among the world-wide industry...
, Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and the Canadian, Ontario and Swedish governments. The SGC accounts for ~30% of the global output of new human protein structures each year, and ~50% of the annual global output of structures of proteins from human parasites. The SGC target proteins have relevance to human health and disease, such as diabetes, cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
and infectious diseases such as malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
The SGC is also spearheading an "open access" chemistry partnership - a new model for pre-competitive drug discovery in which the public and private sectors collaborate to generate potent and selective pharmacological inhibitors of human proteins that regulate epigenetic signalling, and commit to make these reagents available without restriction on use.
The SGC is headed by Aled Edwards
Aled Edwards
Aled Edwards is a Canadian structural biologist. He is also the Director and CEO of the international Structural Genomics Consortium and is Banbury Professor at the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research, the University of Toronto, Canada. Edwards has been a leader in the field of...
(CEO/Director). Operations at each site are managed by a Chief Scientist - Cheryl Arrowsmith
Cheryl Arrowsmith
Cheryl H. Arrowsmith is a Canadian-based structural biologist and is the Chief Scientist at the Toronto laboratory of the Structural Genomics Consortium. Her contributions to protein structural biology includes the use of NMR and X-ray crystallography to pursue structures of proteins on a proteome...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
; Chas Bountra in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, UK and Johan Weigelt (Associate Director) in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.