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A directory for drug development and clinical trials services worldwide is presented.

A directory for preclinical testing and drug development worldwide is presented.

The article focuses on the lean drug development methodology of TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. Even if TAP does not manufacture items in the traditional sense, still there are tasks within the company's research and development that meet the definition of a manufacturing process. Using the methodology, TAP was able to deliver high-quality products to their customers faster that their competitors. TAP remains a standard bearer in research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.

The article provides information concerning on the new approach in the development of drug at Wyeth Research in the U.S. The company has underwent a corporate initiative to evaluate ways to fundamentally enrich and maximize the quality and efficiency of its clinical development. The company's Learn teams have a mandate to interpret the clinical data and make recommendations about compounds of interest.

The article discusses the modernization of toxicology for the drug development in the U.S. in 2012. It tackles the methods for nonclinical toxicity testing and mentions Multi-scale Toxicology Initiative's (MSTI) experimental approach for drug-induced cardiac damage. The use of physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling by MSTI at the clinical trials for acute injury in isolated rat hearts is mentioned.

Reports on the role of nanochemistry in drug development. Commercialization of nanopowders for use in drug development; Representation of the next-higher level of complexity in pharmaceutical nanochemistry by supramolecules; Therapeutic values of buckyball or fullerene-related structures; Developments in the study of nanotubes.

A directory for drug delivery services, drug formulation services in various countries is presented.

Focuses on insights that chemical genomics can provide for drug development. Example of basic advances in drug discovery that chemical genomics has been able to aid; Novel pathways of drug discovery that chemical genomics enables; Role of informatics in drug discovery. INSET: Chemical Genomics Used Widely in Development of Quinamed.

The article offers information on cell-based assays as a platform for drug development in the U.S. Bill Severson, a research virologist at Southern Research Institute, Birmingham, Alabama, has developed high-throughput, cell-based infectivity assays for pathogenic viruses including SARS, avian and seasonal influenza, equine encephalitis, and respiratory syncytial virus. These assays help identify potential antiviral drug candidates from large compound libraries.

The article focuses on the clinical research conducted by government agencies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies that examines the advances in imaging technologies for drug development. Some pharmaceutical firms are leveraging the power of imaging to advance cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and oncology drug development. Thus, these companies and government agencies are investing to develop and use a greater repertoire of imaging biomarkers.

The article remarks the investments of various pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in high-throughput screening (HTS) and combinatorial chemistry. There are some arguments on the hype of HTS and combinatorial chemistry in modern drug development, but the vice president for HTS at Wyeth Laboratories Inc., Jeff Pasley, believes that the investment in HTS is paying off citing the research data on the impact of HTS on drug testing.

The article focuses on the trend of drug development on cancer therapeutics in the U.S. According to the author, researchers are expecting great advances in cancer therapies in the future. It states that the pharmaceutical industry is looking on natural processes and ways to treat cancerous cells. David Harding of RTS Life Science International says that scientists' will focus on the scientific problems at hand and away from the technology.

The article discusses real-time cellular response and drug development research in the U.S. The author believes that the ability to measure dynamic mass redistribution, made possible by label-free optical biosensors, can positively impact modern-day drug discovery efforts by making more physiologically-relevant information available earlier in the process.

The article presents information on drug evolutions in cancer treatments ranging from standard chemotherapeutics to tumor-specific therapies. It is stated that cytotoxic drugs with optimal pharmacokinetics and tumor penetration can prove to be effective against chemosensitive tumors like breast cancer. A breakthrough in cancer drug development occurred when proteins critical to tumor development and survival were identified.

The article discusses the promotion of a new drug development process at extraordinary rate brought about by innovative thinking and clever business deals in the pharmaceutical industry. The author highlights the fact that drug companies pride themselves on producing new and innovative products. However, sometimes, innovation might also be delayed due to the learning curve needed for a company to integrate a new laboratory tool into the drug discovery or development process.

The article discusses the significance of data mining in drug development. Data mining enables a whole drug program to move ahead or can even make a drug come out sooner. John Hill, executive director of exploratory development informatics at Bristol-Myers Squibb said that data mining gives a better understanding of a problem. INSET: Probing the Pump.

The article discusses on the management strategy called lean drug development. To answer the demands to introduce new compounds, increase market share and sustain profitability, senior management at TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc. adapted the lean methodology develop at Toyota and leverage it with new information technology.

Looks into the interest of the pharmaceutical industry on chemical genomics in drug development. Significance of chemical genomics in allowing scientists to rapidly characterize a large pool of small molecules against target proteins; Move of several companies to enter the research focusing on chemical genomics; Potential of chemical genomics in increasing the probability of individual programs. INSETS: Exploring the Dark Matter of the Genome;Gene Expression Screening Goes Generic.

Discusses emerging biosensor-based technologies which promise increased sensitivity and higher throughput to quicken later stages of drug discovery process. Advantages of biosensors in drug development; Sensitivity of current sensors; Microcantilevers for bioarrays; Importance of sensors in the mid to later stages of the drug discovery process. INSET: Biosensors Monitor Cell Division Timing.

Discusses the goal of large compound libraries being created and maintained by drug development companies to discover active, drug-like molecules and find new, patentable structures as efficiently as possible. Differences in library acquisition method; Impact of automated synthesis and high-throughput screening; Chemical diversity; Random synthesis; Drug discovery's reliance on large libraries; Combinatorial chemistry; Approach to library design. INSETS: Tools of the Trade;Bridging Solid and Solution Chemistry.

Ranks the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in order of revenue for 2002 and amount of spent on research and development as a function of total revenue for the year. Spate of drug development projects and innovative technologies; Astra Zeneca; Aventis; Pfizer; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; Roche Group. INSET: [METHODOLOGY].

Reports on the growing popularity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in drug development. Increase in sensitivity and versatility of NMR with advances in probe and magnet technology; Applications of NRM in the pharmaceutical pipeline.

Reports on the growing popularity of protein detection system called label-free detection in the drug development sector. Advantages and benefits of label-free detection; Marketing of several label-free system as surface plasmon resonance; Applications in screening molecules.

Reports on the efforts of Reykjavik, Iceland-based DeCode Genetics Inc. to reduce time and save money in drug development. Value creation business model; Use of Clinical Genome Miner software; DNA-based diagnostics.

Focuses on the United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 21 CFR Part 11 regulation issued March 1997 which provides guidelines on drug development for pharmaceutical companies. Problems associated with pharmaceutical industry's compliance to guidelines; Provisions; Compliance problems posed by technological innovation. INSETS: Compliance Equals Policy, Procedure, and Control;Web Community Focuses on Part 11.

Explores the role of combinatorial chemistry in drug development. Chemical diversity; Parallel synthesis of compounds; Use of algorithms to prescreen classes of compounds. INSET: Combichem: A Glass Half Full.

Focuses on the development of high-throughput screening (HTS) technologies. Importance of detection technologies in the success of assays; Role of HTS in the drug development process; Impact on medical treatment. INSET: Organizations mentioned in this article:.

Focuses on the role of kinases in the regulation of virtually all aspects of cellular regulation in the U.S. Detection of kinases to streamline drug development process; Provision of recombinant proteins and assays for drug discovery by PanVera Corp.; Measurement of fluorescence polarization on modified phosphopeptide products.

The article discusses the new opportunities for stem cell technologies in drug discovery and development efforts of pharmaceutical companies. It states that these technologies offer opportunities in building innovative cellular models. It discusses the current and future applications of these technologies by these companies such as Genentech Inc. Also discussed is the significance of collaborative research of stem cells in drug discovery.

The article focuses on the approach to chromatography as a tool to purify synthesized compounds in drug discovery processes. It details on how compounds are synthesized and purified through bioassay screening and chromatographic analysis to calibrate a new chemical entity used in drug discovery. It also discusses the concept of combinatorial chemistry as part of early drug discovery, and describes the detection advancements of flash chromatography in purity analysis for drug discovery process.

Provides guidelines on how to avoid the common pitfalls that arise in the process of automating compound screening. Importance of identifying key success criteria before implementing the project; Need to discuss the plan with end users; Advice for companies to build their own system; Recommendation for companies to do testing automation equipment before ordering it from suppliers.

Focuses on the software technology for translating high-throughput screening (HTS) information into useful knowledge. Benchmark for HTS; Usual HTS products used; Analysis tools to probe deeper into HTS; Improvement of postprocessing data. INSETS: In Silico Screening Seen as Adjunct to Traditional Techniques;Grid Computing: Putting Idle Compuers to Work.

Explores some of the problems affecting high-throughput screening (HTS) and ways in which researchers are overcoming them. Integration and balance of different technologies; Bottlenecks arising in compound handling, compound resynthesis and new structural design; Challenges concerning assay development; Maintenance of sample quality in compound libraries. INSETS: Building World-Class HTS Capabilities;Assay Technologies for Ion Channels.

Part II. Looks on challenges to the development of high-throughput screening bioassay. Target selectivity; Protein production and purification; Cellular assays; Automation; Quality control. INSET: Multiplex Screening: Will It Pay Off?.

High-throughput screening (HTS) has consistently improved throughput and miniaturization since its development. Yet, despite better automation, detection technologies, target selection, and compound libraries, researchers still face many difficulties in HTS assay development. "The greater challenge in developing assays is a paradigm shift from thinking that anything done on the bench can be run on the robot to designing an assay with the robot in mind," says Peter Hodder, head of HTS robotics, Merck & Co. Inc., Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. INSET: Noncontact Picoliter Dispensing with Ultrasound.

Discusses how drug discovery firms use high-content information which offers both multi-parameter and cell-based information in a screening feasible format. Migration of drug discovery to cell-based assays in the 1990s; Automated image-based cellular information; Difference between image-based and other cellular assay; Features of automated image-based systems being offered by different manufacturers. INSETS: The Automated Imagers Marketplace;Typical HCS assays.

Discusses how miniaturization paved the way for ultra-high-throughput screening (uHTS) at Merck and Co. of North Wales, Pennsylvania. Trend toward the use of miniaturized, high-content, functional assays for lead discovery; Comparison between uHTS and HTS; Benefits of the uHTS technology; Other assay technologies that offer a lot of promise.

Reports on the emergence of lab-on-chip (LOC) technologies for high-throughput screening. Description of commercially available LOC devices; Efforts of LOC developers to expand capabilities of their products. INSET: In Academia, Several Fronts Push Lab-On-Chip Technology.

The article offers information on contract research organizations (CROs) which play a new role in the pharmaceutical market by offering research alternatives for preclinical specialties and drug discovery. It states that seeking the services of CROs is new a strategy that responses to the financial pressures in the drug discovery sector. It says that with the continuous trend of mergers and acquisitions among pharmaceutical companies, CROs expect a demand increase for their services by 2015.

The article discusses the necessity of defining time and concentration interactions in antibiotic development, with the target organisms as early as possible. It notes on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), the quantitative measurement of the drug's potency, which is the lowest concentration of antibiotic that prevent bacterial inoculum from growing to visibly detectable levels. It is the first and most important specification for antibiotic which help define its therapeutic potential.

The article offers information on the measurement of the cell-signaling activities of stem cells. It reports on the measurement of the cell-signaling activities of stem cells through reporter proteins, imaging, and biochemical tools which may determine specific compound that regulates the survival, proliferation, and self renewal of cells. Furthermore, it discusses the potential improvement of drug research through the differentiation of the cell-signaling activities of stem cells.

The article describes how good manufacturing practice (GMP) principles are applied in determining specific activity (SA) and in identifying the compounds manufactured. SA can be determined through mass spectrometry or radiolabeling compounds, which are tested in accordance with GMP. Through GMP principles, better testing parameters are established in developing drugs with higher confidence in the results.

The article reports that the so-called personalized medicine (PM) is receiving widespread attention from both the public and the scientific community in the U.S. PM has the potential to transform the practice of medicine by improving understanding of the mechanisms of disease and permitting safer and more effective care for patients.

The article focuses on the discovery of penicillin, the first antibiotic. Dr. Alexander Fleming and colleagues discover penicillin as antibiotic agent used to treat bacterial infections in humans. The study illustrates that as years go by, penicillin become a microbial resistant. Dr. Fleming and other researchers acknowledge the effort made by various drug companies to develop effective anatomic drugs to treat antibacterial diseases in humans.

The article discusses high-throughput screening technology and contract services related to kinomics offered by various companies to successfully discover and develop therapeutics. Millipore Corp. provides a KinaseProfiler Service for screening that employs a large kinase library. CisBio International unveils its homogenous assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Invitrogen Corp. also offers its SelectScreen kinase profiling service for evaluating drug candidates.

The article examines the interest of various drug companies in developing new antimicrobials following the emergence of pathogens that have become a problem because of drug resistance. For Wyeth Research company, vice president of biological technologies Steve Projans said that said that they do not invest on antimicrobials because they are more difficult than other types of therapeutics to develop. This difficulty, he said, is due to the present U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. INSETS: Signature biodefense;Hard-to-reach targets.

The article discusses the scientific and technological revolution taking place in the pharmaceutical supply chain in the U.S. The revolution will enable drug makers to produce profitable new medicines for conditions that cannot be treated very well and for those that have resisted all treatments. Pharmaceutical companies are likely to shift away from popularized pharmaceutical patterns to targeted treatments aimed at helping specific subpopulations of patients.

The article focuses on the application of plant-based bioreactors by researchers to produce biopharmaceuticals in the U.S. The idea of using plants to produce novel proteins is discussed. The scientists looked at the possibility of using plant viruses to carry new genetic information into a host plant, the result of which was the production of novel proteins. Furthermore, the cost of producing a transgenic protein in a transgenic plant is lower than producing it in a fermentation-based reactor.

The article discusses the potential of RNA interference as a research tool and a new class of therapeutics. Scientists discovered that RNA not only acts as a simple intermediary between genes and proteins, but it also carries out regulatory activities of its own. With this regard, RNA has become the standard technique for basic and drug discovery research. INSETS: Designing siRNA Therapeutics;Antagomirs: Antagonizing miRNA.

The article provides an overview of several small molecule and antibody-based targeted cancer therapies available on the market. Genentech Inc.'s injectable antibody, Herceptin or trastuzumab became the first targeted therapy for breast cancer. Novartis AG's Gleevec or imatinib mesylate became the first approved kinase inhibitor for cancer. Rick Lesniewski, director of cancer research at Abbott Laboratories, points out the use of biomarkers, a strategy that complements targeted therapy.