Minister Lenihan announces €14.8 million for the establishment of eagerly awaited new research centre Involving 69 highly skilled people

“Economic & Social benefits likely to accrue to Ireland” – Lenihan

“Today’s investment establishing Systems Biology Ireland is clear evidence of the Government’s ongoing commitment to further enhancing Ireland’s scientific base to aid our economic recovery.” the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Conor Lenihan T.D. said today (Tuesday, September 15^th 2009). Minister Lenihan was announcing Government funding of €14.8million to be provided over the next 5 years for the establishment of the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funded Systems Biology Ireland research centre, being led by University College Dublin.

Systems Biology is a powerful new way to use the strength of computers and mathematics to understand biology. It seeks to unravel the complexities of cells through the use of models that predict biological behaviour. The research being undertaken will enable quicker and better treatments of a range of medical conditions, including various cancers, and should allow for better therapies to be delivered more effectively to patients. The new research centre is also being supported through the significant contribution of industry partners who include Ark Therapeutics, Hewlett Packard, Servier, Agilent Technologies, Siemens Ireland and Protagen AG. The Systems Biology SFI CSET will involve 69 highly skilled personnel working on the research programme.

Making the announcement, Minister Lenihan added “I am very excited by the potential economic and societal benefits likely to accrue to Ireland from the research being undertaken by the Systems Biology SFI CSET. It is one of the critical emerging areas in the Life Sciences worldwide. Ireland is now very well placed to become a world leader in this field given the very strong foundation we have here in the pharmaceutical and IT sectors. It should greatly assist the IDA to attract further high-end Foreign Direct investment and also allow Irish SMEs to grow. This centre, with its deep-rooted academic – industry partnership, encapsulates the essence of what our Smart Economy should and can be. ”

The Director of the new SFI CSET, Professor Kolch, outlined the potential of systems biology to speed up research and help target therapies to particular patient types by saying “Systems biology takes a holistic view of the organism. It looks at the processes rather than the single components of a cell or a gene. Our research is unique in that we work with stem cells but the outcomes of our research will feed into a global effort to provide better therapies for cancer patients. Our work will help speed up the experimentation process, thereby reducing by years the time it takes to develop a new drug therapy.”

Welcoming the announcement of the new SFI CSET, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, Professor Frank Gannon said: “As the pipeline for new therapeutic drugs becomes constricted it is recognised that a fresh approach to understanding disease is timely. The convergence of computer modelling and the study of the biological system brings new challenges and opportunities. This latest SFI CSET will add to the skill-base that is required for the pharmaceutical companies of the future in Ireland.”

Today’s announcement was made at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

ENDS/IP117

Notes for Editors:

The Government funding of €14.8m for Systems Biology Ireland is being provided through Science Foundation Ireland’s Centres for Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) programme over the next 5 years.

Systems Biology becomes the 10^th SFI funded CSET being supported.

Systems Biology Ireland is led by University College Dublin and is supported by researchers in NUI Galway. The Director of Systems Biology Ireland is Professor Walter Kolch, who has relocated to Ireland to lead this new CSET.

As with all CSETs currently in operation there is a significant industry component and the Systems Biology CSET has also received a combined contribution to date of almost €4.7million by the various Industry partners - Ark Therapeutics, Hewlett Packard, Servier, Agilent Technologies, Siemens Ireland and Protagen AG.

In total, 69 highly skilled personnel will be working to deliver the Systems Biology Ireland’s research programme.

For further information, please contact:

Alva O'Cleirigh, Communications Manager, Science Foundation Ireland: +353 1 607 3249 / + 353 87 9152553;

Roisin McCann, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: +353 1 6312222