EU funded scientists decode proteins with medicines potential

A European Union-funded research team, working with scientists at Stanford University in the USA and the European synchrotron radiation facility in Grenoble, France, have been the first to determine the structure of a specific membrane protein, the recombinant G protein-coupled receptor. These proteins are potentially important targets for future drugs, because of their involvement in the development of many diseases within the body.

EC pledges 22M euros

Coinciding with the announcement of this world-first discovery, the European Commission has pledged funding of 22.0 million euros ($31.7 million) for two new projects looking into membrane proteins, one of which involves two previous Nobel prize-winners.