LA JOLLA, Calif., Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The
Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), a
leading non-profit biomedical research institute, today announced a
research collaboration and license agreement with Pfizer Inc.
(NYSE: PFE) to pioneer new DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology,
including new synthetic chemistry for the creation of
next-generation DELs, a potentially transformative technology for
early stage drug discovery research.
Under the terms of the collaboration, Pfizer will pay a
technology access fee and thereby gain access to innovative
chemical synthesis technology developed at TSRI. Members of the
TSRI chemistry department—Professors Phil Baran, Ph.D.,
Dale Boger, Ph.D., Jin-Quan Yu, Ph.D., K.
Barry Sharpless, Ph.D., and others—will work alongside
Pfizer scientists to adapt these chemical methods for use in
creating DELs, which require stringent processes that are tolerant
of the delicate DNA backbone. TSRI and Pfizer may choose to expand
the scope of the joint research to include other technologies
relevant for enabling DEL-based drug discovery. Financial terms of
the agreement are not disclosed.
"TSRI's chemistry department is known for its rich history of
innovation, and that has never been more true than today," said
TSRI President Peter Schultz, Ph.D.
"We are delighted to partner with Pfizer in an area where
pioneering chemical methodologies can have a significant impact on
the discovery of new medicines for unmet medical needs."
In contrast to conventional drug screening where a few million
small molecules are evaluated in biological systems, DEL screening
uses DNA-based "barcodes" to survey billions of small
molecules, potentially increasing the ability of researchers to
identify promising chemical leads. While this technology was
originally conceived at TSRI by Richard
Lerner, M.D., and Sydney
Brenner, Ph.D., in the early 1990s, the reduction to
practice has taken decades and required technological advances in
DNA sequencing and informatics in order to be more fully
realized.
"We look forward to continuing our longtime relationship with
TSRI," said Tony Wood, Senior Vice
President and Head of Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer. "We hope that
this new collaboration will contribute to the creation of novel
chemistries that can be used by Pfizer to prepare unique libraries
for screening which, together with our parallel medicinal chemistry
expertise, will have the potential to help us accelerate the
discovery of new medicines for patients."
About The Scripps Research Institute
The
Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is
one of the world's largest independent, not-for-profit
organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI
is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and
health, including its role in laying the foundation for new
treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other
diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic
Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen
Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs more
than 2,500 people on its campuses in La
Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL,
where its renowned scientists—including two Nobel laureates and 20
members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering or
Medicine—work toward their next discoveries. The institute's
graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and
chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. In
October 2016, TSRI announced a
strategic affiliation with the California Institute for Biomedical
Research (Calibr), representing a renewed commitment to the
discovery and development of new medicines to address unmet medical
needs. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.
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SOURCE The Scripps Research
Institute