InhibOx and CCDC launch new contract CADD service
The firms, based in Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, respectively, have teamed up to create a computer-aided drug design (CADD) offering that Inhibox CEO Paul Davie claims is unique in the drug discovery sector.
He told Outsourcing-pharma that: “The uniqueness starts with two world-beating data platforms. The Cambridge Structural Database (CSD) has over 500,000 measured and curated crystal structures
“Inhibox complementary Scopius database,” Davie continued “[holds] over 65 million modelled drug candidates with 3D structures, multiple conformations, shape and charge descriptors and calculated physicochemical properties - all filtered for drug-likeness and easy synthesis.
He added that this information base “[Will help] our partners when they need a project fast-start or restart, or if a novel target exists, but no suitable chemical starting points have been identified, or if existing hits are unsuitable for optimization or lead optimization has stalled.
“In addition to these extensive discovery capabilities, we have unique technology for analysing and modelling compound formulation and crystalisation factors, which can generate new understanding and great cost savings at this critical stage.”
Such capabilities are undoubtedly attractive a drug industry, and particularly Big Pharma, that is under pressure to replenish dwindling product pipelines and increase both the speed and efficacy of early-phase preclinical drug research.
Pharma, Biotech and CROs
However, InhibOx and CCDC do not plan to limit their CADD offering and are, according to Davie, experienced at meeting the differing requirements of the pharmas, biotechs and contract research organisations (CROs).
“With pharma, we tend to collaborate with in-house CADD teams, sharing data through our cloud-enabled software-as-a-service architecture. The economics of this are completely compelling for them, delivering huge capital and operational expense savings, as well as novel technologies. With Biotech, we usually take on the CADD work for them in its entirety, working with their project leaders to delivering these services.
“In the case of CRO's, we act as their partners, providing expert CADD capabilities to boost their projects to their customers - the pharma enterprises. This CRO partnership channel is very important to us and demonstrates clearly how delivering innovative technology and service is now a more collaborative, less direct process.
