Dundee University receives funding for global biology project A PROJECT at Dundee University, aimed at powering scientific research across the globe in potentially vital breakthroughs in biology, has been awarded £700,000 in funding as part of a £5.5million investment announced today by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). The research at Dundee will provide scientists in 140 countries with software needed to take raw data and make predictions about its function CEO of BBSRC spoke of "exciting breakthroughs" made possible by advanecs in technology The research at the Scottish university will provide scientists in 140 countries with the software tools needed to take raw genetic sequence data and make predictions about the structure and function of the proteins that they encode. And the aim is to help researchers to make better use of the enormous volumes of DNA sequence data that are being generated in modern bioscience. Professor Geoffrey Barton, from the College of Life Sciences at Dundee, explained: "We have developed tools at Dundee that are now used by researchers around the world thousands of times a month and across the scientific spectrum, from research into diseases like cancer to areas such as plant sciences. Research now generates massive amounts of data which has to be handled, stored and analysed. The work we have done and which we continue to develop at Dundee provides fundamental capabilities for researchers to use this data efficiently. Professor Douglas Kell, the BBSRC chief executive, said: "Many of the exciting breakthroughs that have been achieved by modern biology have only been possible because of advances in technology. Developing new tools and techniques to allow us to make the most of the vast amounts of data that bioscience produces is a vital and often underappreciated aspect of research. Projects like these are allowing scientists to make major insights and solve previously intractable puzzles at unprecedented speed. A university spokesman said: "The university is currently expanding research in quantitative biology within the £50m Centre for Translational and Interdisciplinary Research, which is due to be complete in late 2013. The centre will integrate expertise in cell biology, mass spectrometry, proteomics, "big-data" analytics, drug discovery and computer science to exploit the potential of the human genome project for healthcare and the development of safer drugs."