[Source: TGen] – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today awarded a $7.5 million grant to the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and The University of Arizona (UA) to fund a drug discovery and development center that puts renewed focus on the role of medicinal chemistry. The two-year grant, part of the federal economic recovery act, will enable rapid establishment of both key expertise and infrastructure in the field.
The UA College of Pharmacy and TGen Southwest Comprehensive Center for Drug Discovery and Development will alleviate bottlenecks that exist between the laboratory-based discovery of promising therapeutic targets and the ultimate goal of delivering new, safe and effective drugs to address unmet medical needs of the patient.
The overall goal of the center is to assemble a translational medicinal chemistry team capable of designing and selecting bona fide drug candidates to respond quickly and efficiently when needed. The team’s rapid response is expected to cover a host of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease and events such as exposure to pathogens.
For more information: $7.5 million grant to fund TGen-UA Pharmacy translational medicinal chemistry program