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.

Asterand to acquire BioSeek

Asterand plc (LSE: ATD), a leading provider of human tissue and human tissue-based services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in drug discovery research, today announces it has signed an agreement to acquire BioSeek Inc.

18 Nov 2009

AACR-NCI-EORTC conference highlights major expansion in cancer drug pipeline

To highlight results of more recent research, the AACR-NCI-EORTC Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics International Conference will host a press briefing on "Drugs in the Pipeline." Sara A. Courtneidge, Ph.D., D.Sc., professor and director of the Tumor Microenvironment Program, and director of academic affairs at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, will moderate this press briefing.

17 Nov 2009

LEAD Therapeutics discovers orally available PARP inhibitor

LEAD Therapeutics, a privately held drug discovery company, today announced the discovery of a novel, orally available, PARP inhibitor with potent anti-tumor activity both as single-agent treatment and in combination with chemotherapy drugs.

17 Nov 2009

deCODE genetics files voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code

deCODE genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DCGN) today announced that it has filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware to facilitate the sale of substantially all of its assets. deCODE is continuing to operate its business and manage its properties as a debtor-in-possession pursuant to Sections 1107 and 1108 of the Bankruptcy Code.

17 Nov 2009

PPD, Janssen Pharmaceutica to develop therapeutic compounds for IBS and bacterial infections

PPD, Inc. today announced it has entered an agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutica N.V. to develop and commercialize two Phase II-ready therapeutic compounds, one to treat diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-d) and the other to treat complicated skin and skin structure and respiratory infections.

17 Nov 2009

4SC raises funds for further development of its current product pipeline

4SC AG, a drug discovery and development company, today announced the successful completion of a capital increase, after the Management Board, with the approval of the Supervisory Board, passed a resolution to authorise an increase of share capital on 23 October, 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Fate Therapeutics announces the completion of $30 million Series B financing

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that it has completed a $30 million Series B financing led by OVP Venture Partners. Joining OVP Venture Partners in the financing is a syndicate of corporate investors, including Astellas Venture Management, Genzyme Ventures and a third undisclosed corporate investor.

16 Nov 2009

Potential of the European Biomarker Analysis Market to be the focus at upcoming Analyst Briefing

The "omics" revolution of the last decade has ensured that the field of biomarker research will test the frontiers of biomedical research in the coming years. New biomarkers are discovered each day and this rapid development promises excellent growth potential for the biomarker analysis market. However, due to various challenges faced in biomarker validation and assay development, there is a huge lag between the time that a biomarker is discovered in the laboratory and the time it is actually commercialized.

16 Nov 2009

Amorfix Life Sciences reports operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2009

Amorfix Life Sciences, a company focused on misfolded protein diseases, today reported its second quarter operating results and provided an update on the Company's diagnostic and therapeutic programs.

13 Nov 2009

Nutra Pharma to market its OTC pain reliever in Brazil and Colombia, begins the drug registration process

Nutra Pharma Corp., a biotechnology company that is developing treatments for Adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), HIV and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has announced today that it plans to begin the drug registration process in Brazil and Colombia for its over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever. The company is currently marketing a similar drug in the United States under the brand name Cobroxin for the treatment of moderate to severe (Stage 2) chronic pain.

13 Nov 2009

Update on Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' RNAi pipeline, platform, and technology

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, is providing an update on its RNAi pipeline, platform, and technology at its R&D Day being held in New York today.

12 Nov 2009

Stapled Peptides directly inhibit the Notch transcription factor complex

Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company leading the development of a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptides, announced today that its collaborators, James E. Bradner, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Gregory L. Verdine, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, published research in Nature entitled, “Direct Inhibition of the Notch Transcription Factor Complex.”

12 Nov 2009

Stapled Peptides can inhibit key intracellular biological targets, says new research

Aileron Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company leading the development of a new class of drugs called Stapled Peptides, announced today that its collaborators, James E. Bradner, MD of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and Gregory L. Verdine, PhD, Professor of Chemistry at Harvard University, published research in Nature entitled, "Direct Inhibition of the Notch Transcription Factor Complex." Results presented in the paper showed that Stapled Peptides can potently and directly inhibit the transcription factor Notch, an oncogene implicated in cancer cell proliferation and survival.

12 Nov 2009

Scientists find way to disarm "undruggable" protein; discovery lays foundation for new kind of cancer therapy

Scientists have devised an innovative way to disarm a key protein considered to be "undruggable," meaning that all previous efforts to develop a drug against it have failed. Their discovery, published in the November 12 issue of Nature, lays the foundation for a new kind of therapy aimed directly at a critical human protein — one of a few thousand so-called transcription factors — that could someday be used to treat a variety of diseases, especially multiple types of cancer.

12 Nov 2009

Envoy Therapeutics secures loan from Takeda Research Investment

Envoy Therapeutics, Inc., a newly formed drug discovery company, today announced that it has secured a loan from Takeda Research Investment (TRI) which Envoy may elect to convert to Envoy preferred stock should the company complete a second private equity financing. TRI will receive certain rights from Envoy related to a specific therapeutic field while scientists at the two companies craft a broad scientific research alliance.

11 Nov 2009

Duke University, Jubilant Organosys sign letter of intent for drug development partnership

Duke University and Jubilant Organosys Limited, the largest integrated Custom Research and Manufacturing Services (CRAMS) and leading Drug Discovery and Development Services (DDDS) company in India, through its subsidiary, Jubilant Biosys Limited, today signed a Letter of Intent to develop a multi-faceted partnership that will expedite translation of discoveries by Duke scientists into clinical therapies.

11 Nov 2009

New imagining technique may yield better antiviral and anti-cancer drugs

A recently devised method of imaging the chemical communication and warfare between microorganisms could lead to new antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral and anti-cancer drugs, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.

10 Nov 2009

Labcyte to receive $5.5 million from Hercules Technology Growth Capital

Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTGC), the leading specialty finance company providing venture debt and equity to venture capital and private equity-backed technology and life science companies at all stages of development, today announced that it has committed to provide Labcyte, Inc. (www.labcyte.com) $5.5 million in credit facilities.

9 Nov 2009

AMRI reports $47.7 million total revenue for the third quarter of 2009

AMRI today reported financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

9 Nov 2009

Caliper Discovery Alliances and Services receives a $1.8M funding commitment for the EPA's ToxCast program

Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., a leading provider of tools and services for drug discovery and life sciences research, today announced that its Caliper Discovery Alliances and Services (CDAS) unit has been awarded a new funding commitment for $1.8 million under its contract with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the EPA's ToxCast screening program.

9 Nov 2009

Drug Discovery News and Research

Further Reading

Asterand to acquire BioSeek

AACR-NCI-EORTC conference highlights major expansion in cancer drug pipeline

LEAD Therapeutics discovers orally available PARP inhibitor

deCODE genetics files voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code

PPD, Janssen Pharmaceutica to develop therapeutic compounds for IBS and bacterial infections

4SC raises funds for further development of its current product pipeline

Fate Therapeutics announces the completion of $30 million Series B financing

Potential of the European Biomarker Analysis Market to be the focus at upcoming Analyst Briefing

Amorfix Life Sciences reports operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2009

Nutra Pharma to market its OTC pain reliever in Brazil and Colombia, begins the drug registration process

Update on Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' RNAi pipeline, platform, and technology

Stapled Peptides directly inhibit the Notch transcription factor complex

Stapled Peptides can inhibit key intracellular biological targets, says new research

Scientists find way to disarm "undruggable" protein; discovery lays foundation for new kind of cancer therapy

Envoy Therapeutics secures loan from Takeda Research Investment

Duke University, Jubilant Organosys sign letter of intent for drug development partnership

New imagining technique may yield better antiviral and anti-cancer drugs

Labcyte to receive $5.5 million from Hercules Technology Growth Capital

AMRI reports $47.7 million total revenue for the third quarter of 2009

Caliper Discovery Alliances and Services receives a $1.8M funding commitment for the EPA's ToxCast program

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