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.

ELRIG announces inaugural US drug discovery conference

ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organization dedicated to the global drug discovery community, today announced the launch of Drug Discovery USA 2026.

From ELRIG (UK) Ltd. 15 Apr 2026

Expanded assay development and screening services strengthen integrated drug discovery capabilities

Concept Life Sciences' expanded Assay Development and Screening services enhance drug discovery, reinforcing our commitment to innovative therapeutic solutions.

From Concept Life Sciences 14 Apr 2026

FairJourney Bio opens Cryo-EM structural biology facility in San Diego

FairJourney Bio (FJBio), a global antibody discovery contract research organization (CRO), today announced the opening of its advanced cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structural biology facility in San Diego, California.

From FairJourney Biologics S.A. 13 Apr 2026

Nanodisc technology improves study of viral proteins for vaccines

Viruses are masters at invading our cells thanks to specialized proteins that coat their surfaces. When scientists design vaccines, they often create versions of these viral surface proteins to study how our immune systems might respond.

11 Apr 2026

Novel antibiotic compound shows promise against MRSA skin infections

The development of new antibiotics to treat superbugs and other bacterial infections is a global priority, with the rate of infections that cannot be treated with current antibiotics rising and presenting one of the biggest threats to human health.

11 Apr 2026

Insilico Medicine launches Pharma AI Spring Kickoff 2026 webinar

As the AI era becomes increasingly shaped by foundation models, the pharmaceutical industry is entering a new phase of opportunity for discovery, design, and decision-making driven by AI for science.

10 Apr 2026

FDA clears investigational new drug application to test sCAR-T therapy for autoimmune conditions

Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines, the drug discovery division of Scripps Research, announced today that the FDA has cleared their investigational new drug (IND) application to study switchable chimeric antigen receptor T cell (sCAR-T) therapy (CLBR001 + SWI019) in patients with autoimmune conditions.

10 Apr 2026

AI-powered chemistry accelerates discovery of selective cancer inhibitors

Recently, the Insilico team's research entitled "An Internal Sulfur-Lone Pair Interaction Enabled the Discovery of Potential and Sub-Family Selective PKMYT1 Inhibitors" was invited for publication as a cover Feature in ChemMedChem.

9 Apr 2026

Novel catalytic approach accelerates synthesis of branched drug compounds

When chemists design drug candidates, shape matters enormously. Many active pharmaceutical ingredients contain branched carbon structures-points where the molecular chain forks in a specific direction-that are critical to whether a molecule will bind to its biological target and whether it will be safe.

9 Apr 2026

OICR funds four Ontario teams to develop next-generation cancer therapies

Better cancer care depends on better treatment options. That's why the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) is supporting four Ontario-based research teams working to develop the next generation of cancer therapies that are designed to be more effective at destroying tumors, have reduced side effects, and make cancer less likely to return.

9 Apr 2026

UVA scientists develop AI tools to accelerate new drug discovery

University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have developed a bold new approach to drug development and discovery that could dramatically accelerate the creation of new medicines.

9 Apr 2026

Sponge and sea slug partnership yields a new anticancer molecule with drug design promise

Researchers identified jorumycidine, a new hexacyclic marine alkaloid from the nudibranch Jorunna funebris and its dietary sponge, Haliclona sp., and demonstrated that it exhibits potent nanomolar cytotoxicity against multiple myeloma cells. They also proposed a new biosynthetic route involving cross-species metabolic interplay and an unusual oxazolidine ring that may help stabilize a pharmacologically important scaffold.

8 Apr 2026

Insilico Medicine nominates AI-driven drug candidate for cancer, Cushing's syndrome and obesity

The NR3C1 (nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1) gene encodes the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a nuclear receptor vital for maintaining physiological homeostasis, and inhibition of NR3C1 could increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to standard chemotherapy, particularly in ovarian cancer.

8 Apr 2026

Yale researchers use zebrafish to find precision treatments for autism

In recent decades, the zebrafish has become one of the most valuable model organisms in scientific research.

8 Apr 2026

Hearing loss and sex shape dual-task outcomes in older adults with mild cognitive impairment

Cognitive and physical training can help older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) maintain or improve their ability to move and think simultaneously, but hearing ability and sex influence outcomes, according to a new Concordia-led study.

7 Apr 2026

Pol theta enzyme identified as key driver of cancer resilience

A cancer drug target already being investigated in clinical trials turns out to be doing something even more consequential than researchers realized.

7 Apr 2026

New compounds reduce inflammation without weakening immune defense

Scripps Research scientists have developed a new class of drug compounds that reduce harmful inflammation while leaving the body's ability to fight infections intact-a long-sought goal in treating autoimmune diseases.

6 Apr 2026

New dual drugs eliminate tumors when combined with immunotherapy

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy have developed a set of novel, first-in-class drugs that inhibit hypoxia-inducible factors 1 and 2, a pair of transcription factors considered to be "master regulators" of cancer progression.

2 Apr 2026

Where digital holographic microscopy complements fluorescence microscopy

Integrating Digital Holographic Microscopy with fluorescence techniques enhances live-cell imaging, preserving cellular integrity and improving assay accuracy.

From Park Systems 2 Apr 2026

NIH funds AI project to advance Alzheimer’s research and treatment

The National Institutes of Health has renewed support for Artificial Intelligence for Alzheimer's Disease, or AI4AD. The new $12.6 million award to advance the project's next phase, AI4AD2, brings its total investment in AI4AD to $30.7 million.

1 Apr 2026