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Drug Discovery
innovations of significant benefit to drug discovery. tion. I believe the decline is real, but is it as severe
It should be noted that both of these technologies as generally believed? Whatever the fact or per-
come from funding academic research. The impor- ception, innovation is a cycle and as such has its
tance of academic research as a source of innova- peaks and troughs. While this trough is particu-
tion for drug discovery cannot be overemphasised. larly prolonged, it is not permanent. Innovation is
still occurring, but perhaps at a slower pace than
The mixed blessing of the in past years and perhaps in different areas of
microplate format drug discovery.
The microplate format has become the default Advances in seemingly unrelated disciplines of
standard for drug discovery. The infrastructure and academic research can find applications in unantic-
investment built around this format is substantial ipated markets. Drug discovery has always drawn
and almost irreplaceable. The components of an from advances from other fields and as long as
automated HTS system can add up to millions of there are entrepreneurs in large companies or start-
dollars. As expensive as these system are, they are ups, innovation will always be a part of drug dis-
dwarfed by the cost of storage and distribution sys- covery. It may be riskier than before, but it is still
tems for millions of compounds in the corporate a rewarding and exciting adventure. DDW
library. This kind of investment is not easy to dis-
place or replace. If a technology is developed that
does not integrate into the microplate format, what
are the chances of it being widely accepted?
The example of FP was discussed earlier. It had
little success in drug discovery until hardware was
developed for the microplate. Back scattering inter-
ferometry and cantilever arrays were discussed ear-
lier as examples of innovative technologies.
Neither easily fits the microplate format. Will they
find success in drug discovery? Whether they will
have the attributes to displace the microplate will
have to be left to the future. However, I believe
they will find more immediate success downstream
of HTS. There are numerous examples of tech-
nologies that do not fit HTS, but have been very
successful in profiling and lead optimisation. HTS
is very profitable for vendors, but not the only
place in drug discovery where innovation can be
successful. The dominance of the microplate infra-
structure is an issue that many technology compa-
nies, start-ups and venture capitalists have to seri-
ously evaluate in what they develop and fund.
Conclusion
Perhaps we have become spoiled with the constant
advances in electronics such as faster and more
powerful computers and more sophisticated cell
phones, all with more capability at ever decreasing
prices. Is it realistic to compare advances in con-
sumer electronics to advances in technology for
biological assays? It isn’t fair, but it doesn’t mean Dr Al Kolb has more than 30 years’ experience
we won’t make those comparisons. We are also evaluating, developing and introducing new tech-
aware of the excitement and innovation in drug nologies for drug discovery. He is currently
discovery of the past. Do we expect that to be the President of KeyTech Solutions, a consulting com-
norm, or was it an exceptional period driven by a pany he founded in 2003. He has served on scien-
unique set of circumstances? It may be that these tific advisory boards, editorial boards of drug dis-
unconscious comparisons are partly why so many covery journals and as a board member and presi-
people see the decline in drug discovery innova- dent of the Society for Biomolecular Sciences.
Drug Discovery World Winter 2009/10 31
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