Attrition rates are a well-documented challenge within drug development, with failure rates regularly calculated to be as high as 90%1. Whilst there are some indications that this is improving2, minimising the chances of attrition, especially at a late stage, remains a main focus for drug development organisations. Hurdles will arise at all stages, from sub-optimal pharmacokinetic properties, through off target activity, to unexpected adverse reactions in clinical trials. Strengthening your pipeline by predicting these potential end points and assessing them as early as possible is vital.
Bringing in an external contract research organisation (CRO) to help accelerate specific aspects of discovery, such as assay development, high throughput screening or medicinal chemistry, can be a great way to expand your capacity and expertise with minimal operational risk. However, with different departments and/or different organisations working on a project, there is the risk that information could get siloed, and that only certain factors are considered at every stage. So as to not suffer the ramifications of this, it is important to work with an organisation that has knowledge and experience of the entire drug development process, and an integrated drug discovery approach is an ideal way to ensure that multiple factors are considered throughout to maximise the quality of your pipeline.
The advantages of an integrated approach
With scientists from multiple disciplines engaged in the project, potential candidates can progress more quickly through the different stages of research and development. Working with different scientists offers access to different skill sets and can generate new ideas that may not come to light without this collaboration. This is also an advantage to our team as it gives them a broader understanding of other working areas and allows them to build a more comprehensive knowledge of the drug discovery process, a benefit to us and you!
But how can a CRO ensure that information doesn’t become siloed within its own departments?
How an integrated approach works in practice
As an integrated drug discovery services provider, we have experience across a wide range of therapeutic areas, working on projects from target identification through to lead optimisation. Each project is headed up by a dedicated project leader who will listen to your specific needs and provide a customised programme of tailored solutions to support the discovery journey. This oversight enables multiple different teams to bring their specialist knowledge to the projects, without losing the long-term vision. Excellent communication is the key and regular multi-disciplinary project meetings ensure that data is shared and is rapidly acted upon. New information and Structure Activity Relationship (SAR) data is shared, considered and incorporated into the next iteration of compound design and testing.
With individual services available to enhance any drug development project, we understand the advantages of working with a CRO on a project-by-project basis. But we also know just how much further benefit can be gained from working with us on an integrated basis.
Professor Helen Philippou, Professor of Translational Medicine, Lunac Therapeutics: “Domainex have provided us with integrated drug discovery services including medicinal chemistry, assay biology and ADME. The team were great to work with in a collaborative partnership. The scientists have contributed strategic insight and intellectual input across a range of disciplines. This support was invaluable in areas of expertise on the overall drug discovery process. I’ve really enjoyed working together with such a dedicated, highly skilled and professional team. I would recommend Domainex to anyone looking for a provider of drug discovery services.”
Dr Neil Miller, CEO, NRG Therapeutics: “We chose Domainex as our lead CRO partner to support the lead optimisation phase of a neuroscience project funded by a Biomedical Catalyst Award from Innovate UK. Excellent progress has been made by the medicinal chemistry and biology teams at Domainex, and the project is on track to deliver its next milestone.”
If you’re already working with us and are interested in expanding your project to include more of our services then you can speak to your project leader, or if you’re new to Domainex and want to understand more about our integrated drug discovery services then please get in touch.
References
1. Kola, I., Landis, J. Can the pharmaceutical industry reduce attrition rates?. Nat Rev Drug Discov 3, 711–716 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1470
2. Pammolli, F., Righetto, L., Abrignani, S. et al. The endless frontier? The recent increase of R&D productivity in pharmaceuticals. J Transl Med 18, 162 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-020-02313-z