Drug Discovery News and Research

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The drug discovery process begins with recognizing a disease or clinical condition in which there is a lack of adequate medical treatment. Once a potential drug has been identified, pre-clinical research can begin. This process includes several stages; the first of which involves identifying and validating the prospective drug’s target through assay development, high throughput screening, hit identification and finally, lead optimization. Once the pre-clinical process is complete, the newly synthesized drug candidate is selected for future clinical development.

Scientific advances at Scripps Research lay foundation for new lupus drug Benlysta

Scientific advances at The Scripps Research Institute were key to laying the foundation for the new drug Benlysta® (belimumab), approved today by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Benlysta®, which treats the most common type of lupus, is the first in a new class of pharmaceuticals that prevents the body from attacking its own critical tissues.

11 Mar 2011

Eisai, Epizyme partner to develop and commercialize EZH2 epigenetic enzyme

Epizyme, Inc. announced today a worldwide partnership with Eisai Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan to discover, develop and commercialize therapeutics targeting EZH2, an epigenetic enzyme, for the treatment of lymphoma and other cancers in genetically-defined patients.

11 Mar 2011

Idera reports $6.0 million net loss for fourth quarter 2010

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2010.

10 Mar 2011

CRT, ICR sign deal with ZoBio to discover and develop cancer drugs

Cancer Research Technology and The Institute of Cancer Research have signed a deal with Dutch drug discovery company, ZoBio BV, to discover and develop drugs to block a DNA repair target which may play a role in cancer cell survival.

10 Mar 2011

Mississippi researchers work on drug discovey for poison ivy skin rash

Each year nearly 50 million Americans develop an annoying skin rash after coming in contact with poison ivy. But University of Mississippi researchers are working on a pharmaceutical product to rein in the allergic reaction in people already sensitive to the plants and prevent it altogether in those who aren't.

8 Mar 2011

Ambry, RainDance enter new collaboration to develop and commercialize ADME screening

RainDance Technologies, Inc. and Ambry Genetics, today announced a new collaboration focused on the development and commercialization of a comprehensive drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion genetic screening panel for use on next-generation sequencing systems.

8 Mar 2011

CDI announces publication of footprint-free iPSCs production method in PLoS ONE journal

Cellular Dynamics International, the world's largest producer of human tissue cells for drug discovery and safety testing, today announced the publication of research demonstrating an efficient and scalable method of creating DNA integration-free, or footprint-free, induced pluripotent stem cells under a feeder-free condition using chemically defined media.

5 Mar 2011

Scientific symposium to examine new approaches to schizophrenia drug development

Despite significant investment in research and development by pharmaceutical companies, the last decade has seen a marked decline in the number of drugs developed and approved for schizophrenia. A multi-day symposium at the New York Academy of Sciences on Wednesday, March 9 - Friday, March 11 will convene world-leading experts in clinical, translational, and basic neuroscience to address this problem by examining novel, state-of-the-art approaches to schizophrenia drug development.

5 Mar 2011

Executioner enzyme may short circuit second form of cell death

An enzyme viewed as an executioner, because it can push cells to commit suicide, may actually short circuit a second form of cell death, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered.

4 Mar 2011

Advion to establish new laboratory at Purdue Research Park near Indianapolis

Advion BioServices Inc., a provider of contract bioanalytical research services, announced that it will establish a laboratory here, creating 49 immediate jobs and up to 66 jobs by 2015.

From Advion 2 Mar 2011

HP announces innovative drug research application for its inkjet technology

HP today announced an innovative drug research application for its inkjet technology that enables pharmaceutical companies to more efficiently develop better drugs through vastly more precise dispensing of dosages.

1 Mar 2011

Daiichi Sankyo enters merger agreement to acquire Plexxikon

Plexxikon Inc. today announced it has entered into a merger agreement with Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited, a Japan-based global pharmaceutical company.

28 Feb 2011

Janssen-Cilag, NovAlix enter research services agreement for chemistry to support drug discovery efforts

NovAlix today announces that it has entered into a multi-year research services agreement for chemistry with Janssen-Cilag, France, to support its drug discovery efforts.

28 Feb 2011

Selcia completes drug discovery project with ExonHit Therapeutics using fragment screening technology

Selcia Ltd today announced the successful completion of a drug discovery project with ExonHit Therapeutics SA, using Selcia's fragment screening technology. Novel and weak affinity hits were identified from Selcia's Fragment Library, using their proprietary CEfrag technique.

28 Feb 2011

Final data from 4SC vidofludimus ENTRANCE Phase IIa trial against IBD presented at ECCO IBD Conference

4SC AG, a drug discovery and development company focused on autoimmune and cancer indications, announces the final data from the ENTRANCE Phase IIa trial in inflammatory bowel disease with vidofludimus, an oral inhibitor of interleukin-17 release and DHODH, including the secondary endpoints comprising the analysis of CDAI and CAI disease scores, change of prednisolone intake and threshold doses, safety, pharmacokinetics and biomarkers.

28 Feb 2011

Positive results from Vertex VX-770 Phase 3 STRIVE study in patients with CF

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced positive results from the Phase 3 STRIVE study of VX-770, an oral medicine in development that targets the defective protein that causes cystic fibrosis.

24 Feb 2011

Covance Genomics Lab, Ingenuity enter research collaboration for NGS data analysis

Ingenuity Systems, a leading provider of information and analytics solutions for life science researchers, today announced a research collaboration with Covance Genomics Laboratory for next-generation sequencing data analysis.

24 Feb 2011

Trevena commences TRV120027 Phase 2a trial in patients with acute heart failure

Trevena Inc., the leader in G-protein coupled receptor biased ligand drug discovery, today announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial with its lead program, TRV120027, a beta-arrestin biased angiotensin II type 1 receptor ligand, the first biased ligand designed to treat patients with acute heart failure.

23 Feb 2011

GIBH, Saint Louis University form global research partnership to combat malaria

The Center for World Health & Medicine at Saint Louis University and China's Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health are forming a global research partnership that initially will focus on new treatments for malaria.

19 Feb 2011

Merck Canada announces $6.8 million investment in AmorChem for biopharmaceutical research

Merck Canada announced today a $6.8 million investment in AmorChem, a Quebec life sciences venture capital fund. This is the latest investment made by Merck following a commitment made in 2010 to invest an incremental $100 million over five years in biopharmaceutical research and development in Quebec.

19 Feb 2011

Drug Discovery News and Research

Further Reading

Scientific advances at Scripps Research lay foundation for new lupus drug Benlysta

Eisai, Epizyme partner to develop and commercialize EZH2 epigenetic enzyme

Idera reports $6.0 million net loss for fourth quarter 2010

CRT, ICR sign deal with ZoBio to discover and develop cancer drugs

Mississippi researchers work on drug discovey for poison ivy skin rash

Ambry, RainDance enter new collaboration to develop and commercialize ADME screening

CDI announces publication of footprint-free iPSCs production method in PLoS ONE journal

Scientific symposium to examine new approaches to schizophrenia drug development

Executioner enzyme may short circuit second form of cell death

Advion to establish new laboratory at Purdue Research Park near Indianapolis

HP announces innovative drug research application for its inkjet technology

Daiichi Sankyo enters merger agreement to acquire Plexxikon

Janssen-Cilag, NovAlix enter research services agreement for chemistry to support drug discovery efforts

Selcia completes drug discovery project with ExonHit Therapeutics using fragment screening technology

Final data from 4SC vidofludimus ENTRANCE Phase IIa trial against IBD presented at ECCO IBD Conference

Positive results from Vertex VX-770 Phase 3 STRIVE study in patients with CF

Covance Genomics Lab, Ingenuity enter research collaboration for NGS data analysis

Trevena commences TRV120027 Phase 2a trial in patients with acute heart failure

GIBH, Saint Louis University form global research partnership to combat malaria

Merck Canada announces $6.8 million investment in AmorChem for biopharmaceutical research

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