Indian CRO will carry out target validation, lead identification and optimization work.
GVK Biosciences inked a drug discovery alliance with the Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research at Temple University. Under terms of the multiyear collaboration GVK Bio will be responsible for target validation, lead identification, and lead optimization of small molecules in a range of therapeutic areas including cardiovascular, metabolic, and CNS disorders.
“This business model reflects the increasing trend of collaborations between academic centers of excellence and pharmaceutical companies to discover new drugs,” remarks Magid Abou-Gharbia, M.D., director of the Moulder Center and associate dean for research at Temple’s school of pharmacy.
Founded in 2009, the Moulder Center has specialist capabilities in drug design and lead optimization and aims to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research as well as facilitate collaborative research both within Temple University and with external collaborators in the U.S. and internationally.
India-based CRO GVK Bio already has ongoing partnerships with a number of academic research institutions. The collaboration with the Moulder Center follows just a few weeks after it announced a partnership with the nonprofit PROOF (prevention of organ failure) Centre of Excellence, which was established by the Canadian government.
The deal is focused on identifying biomarkers of heart, lung, and kidney failure. The PROOF Centre licensed GVK’s Online Clinical Biomarker (BOBIOM) Database to help evaluate the commercial potential of biomarker candidates.
GVK says the GOBIOM database is a collection of all the clinically evaluated, exploratory, and preclinical biomarkers associated with different therapeutic areas reported in global clinical trials, clinical, and preclinical studies. It currently contains over 14,000 biochemical, genomic, imaging, metabolite, cellular, and physiological markers. Additionally, it covers multiple data points including experimental, analytical, clinical, and statistical data with their qualifications under different medical interventions.
Earlier this year the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) helped broker a deal between the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) and GVK Bio. The agreement will provide researchers across the U.S. with access to the GOBIOM database. Through this arrangement the resource will be available nationwide to 55 medical centers and universities supported by the Clinical and Translational Sciences Award from the NIH.