|
|
|
|
|
Home Overview Faculty Graduate Training Postdoctoral Training Events PCTR CDDCB News Contact Us drugdiscovery@northwestern.edu |
OVERVIEWThe Center for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology evolved from the faculty-initiated Drug Discovery Program that was established in 1996 to facilitate interdisciplinary research and educational activities. The core group of faculty from two schools and three departments has since grown to include more than thirty clinical and basic science faculty who have expanded the research and educational infrastructure through acquisition of peer reviewed funds for major instrumentation, training, and collaborative research projects. The Center's mission, focus and operations reflect this history as it seeks to broaden its impact on the interface between molecular and integrative basic sciences and facilitate the translation of preclinical discoveries into clinical applications. What is Chemical Biology? Chemical biology focuses upon the design, identification, and application of small molecules to investigate the multifaceted functions of living cells and organisms. Integrated biology seeks to place the knowledge of both molecular and cellular processes into a broader context. The marriage of these two fields generates integrative chemical biology investigations that emphasize the in vivo administration of compounds and measurement of the subsequent functional effects on the entire biological system. The resulting basic science knowledge from integrative chemical biology investigations has the potential to provide information for future drug discovery efforts because small molecule perturbations are used as a foundation. This interdisciplinary research from atom to animal allows small-molecule modulation of pathways and processes to investigate a central drug discovery question: is a molecular target or pathway "druggable"? What is Drug Discovery? Drug discovery, as its name implies, is the early, more exploratory phase of the drug discovery and drug development continuum. This early phase interdisciplinary research is much like other scientific discovery research in the basic and clinical disciplines. However, drug discovery research focuses on the implications for later therapeutic intervention. The goal is to move beyond description into knowledge of mechanism that will facilitate rational intervention. For example, drug discovery research seeks to use the elucidation of a macromolecular structure or biological pathway as a starting point for identification and validation of targets that can be potentially manipulated by ligands (i.e., is it a druggable site or process?). Considerations in early drug discovery research of the potential bioavailability of compounds, the ability to modulate selectively the function of the drug discovery target, and the ability to translate biological endpoints of preclinical research to the clinic are key to success in later stage drug development. Goals of the Center
|
 |
CDDCB Home | Overview | Faculty | Events | Graduate Training | Postdoctoral Training
Northwestern Home | Calendar: Plan-It Purple | Sites A-Z | Search Mailing address: CDDCB, 303 E. Chicago Ave, W-896, Chicago IL 60611 Phone: | Comments: drugdiscovery@northwestern.edu | Web Designer: Anthony F. Abbinanti Last modified: 7/18/08 | World Wide Web Disclaimer and University Policy Statements | © 2005 - 2008 Northwestern University |