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"The key goal for companies trying to develop new drugs is to find thebest series of compounds that will optimize their chances of turning promisinghits into even more promising leads," notes John Sterling, Editor in Chief ofGEN.
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Merck, for example, tries to make certain that its scientists work onphysiologically relevant targets and assays during early-stage drug discoveryresearch. For target identification the company uses RNAi technology in humancell lines. Multiparametric assays then generate biological activity profilesthat can often provide valuable insight into complex disease models.
Pharmacopeia's screening platform is based on its ECLiPS(R) (encodedcombinatorial libraries on polymeric support) technology. Three steps areinvolved in the firm's screening process. A primary high-throughput approachscreens eluate from multiple beads. A follow-up protocol screens single beadeluates from those sublibraries, which demonstrate activity in the assay.Finally, company scientists submit beads for a decoding process, which is howthey identify the structure of compounds in the active wells in step two.
Also discussed in the GEN article is drug discovery activities takingplace at GlaxoSmithKline, Fujifilm, Archemix, and the Southern ResearchInstitute.
For a copy of the July issue of GEN, please call (914) 740-2122, or email:[email protected]
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (www.genengnews.com), which ispublished 21 times a year by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is the most widely readbiotechnology news magazine worldwide. It includes articles on Drug Discovery,Bioprocessing, OMICS, Biobusiness, and Clinical Research and Diagnostics.
Contact: John Sterling, Editor in Chief, Genetic Engineering &Biotechnology News
Ph: (914) 740-2196, [email protected]
SOURCE Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News
