A new paradigm for UK-based translational research
There is little doubt that the traditional Big Pharma model of drug discovery needs, and is undergoing, considerable revision. The old model, in which all activities – from the earliest target identification through to late stage clinical development – are kept in-house with minimal external collaborations has become unsustainable in terms of cost and productivity. Obviously, the quality of novel drugs is fundamentally dependent upon the understanding of the science that underpins the molecular targets against which they are directed. Accordingly, drug companies are increasingly looking toward external partners to provide them with the depth of scientific knowledge which previously they have had to build and accumulate internally. As a result, the last decade has witnessed a remarkable shift from drug companies being insular, inward-looking businesses to a much more externally-focussed, collaborative mind-set in which academic collaborations are becoming the norm rather than the exception.
Recognising that the baton for early-stage drug discovery is increasingly being passed from industry to academia, the University of Sussex has established the Translational Drug Discovery Group as a catalyst for bringing together colleagues across the Schools of Life Sciences and Psychology as well as the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the Royal Sussex and Brighton Hospital. The remit of the Translational Drug Discovery Group is to translate the deep understanding of the biology of disease and the associated molecular targets into novel candidate molecules for clinical evaluation. To this end, the Translational Drug Discovery Group comprises scientists with an industrial background and an extensive knowledge of the drug discovery process. As a result, the University of Sussex is well placed to combine academic excellence with industrial know-how in the pursuit of novel approaches to address unmet medical needs.
Translational Drug Discovery Group
The team has been established such that drug discovery activities are fully integrated both physically and intellectually
- Wet-lab Medicinal chemistry and molecular pharmacology capabilities
- Scientists from industry with a track record of progressing projects from target validation through to clinical evaluation
- Experience in diverse therapeutic areas including oncology, anti-infectives, neuroscience and respiratory targets
Therapeutic Focus
The University of Sussex possesses world-class scientific expertise in each of our therapeutic areas:
- Oncology
- Neuroscience
- Infectious diseases
Moreover, access to the clinical expertise within the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the Royal Sussex and Brighton Hospital ensure the clinical relevance of targets.
Technical Capabilities
A strong focus on biochemical and biophysical techniques permits a structure-based approach to drug discovery. Such methodologies include:
- NMR fragment-based screening
- Crystallography
- Computational chemistry
A Differentiated Portfolio
The application of structural biological methodologies to existing as well as highly novel targets - “new approaches to old targets” and “new approaches to new targets” – ensure that the Translational Drug Discovery Group has a highly differentiated portfolio.