The department of Chemical engineering was awarded a major research contract and a donation from Chinese Health company Infinitus. The event was recognised through a signing ceremony with the University's Vice Chancellor on Wednesday the 3rd of September. The deal is worth more than GBP4.0M and includes a very significant donation towards the construction of the department's new building on the University's West Site.
The money will go to establish CIRCE (the Cambridge Infinitus Research Centre) with the aim of analysing the biological activity of polypeptides and polysaccharides derived from plants and fungi. 25% of all modern medicines are derivatives of natural products and a major driver for research in CIRCE will be molecular regulators of protein homeostasis in cell and organism models that offer potential strategies in the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
Prof. Kaminski says: "I am absolutely thrilled to think of the opportunities that CIRCE will bring to us and our department. We are ideally placed in our new building to tackle some of the very challenging problems that come with research on the molecular origins of devastating diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Infinitus is a world leading biotechnology company and I have been greatly impressed with their vision and enthusiasm to drive this exciting new venture forward."