GVK Biosciences has entered into a drug discovery alliance with the Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research at Temple University. As part of the multi-year integrated drug discovery collaboration, GVK Bio will be responsible for the target validation, lead identification and lead optimization of small molecules in selected therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, metabolic, and central nervous system disorders.
 
The MoulderCenter is a unique, fully integrated state-of-the-art drug discovery center that is used for both internal research within Temple and for external collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies and other universities, according to a GVK Bio statement. As part of the collaboration, GVK Bio will apply its integrated drug discovery expertise and technologies to identify interesting small molecules against selected targets, and will be responsible for reagent generation, assay development and establishing the screening cascade leading to lead identification and optimization. Moulder Center and GVK Bio will be jointly responsible for designing the molecules for this program. The molecules will be optimized and progressed through lead optimization to a preclinical candidate.
 
“This business model reflects the increasing trend of collaborations between academic centers of excellence and pharmaceutical companies to discover new drugs.” said Dr. Magid Abou-Gharbia, director of the Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research and associate dean for Research in Temple’s School of Pharmacy. “We are delighted to be working with GVK BIO’s experienced research and discovery team to further leverage both teams’ talents to identify innovative drug candidates.”

Manni Kantipudi, GVK Bio’s chief executive officer, remarked, “We look forward to working with the Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research. Dr. Abou-Gharbia is a world renowned researcher with more than 26 years of research experience and we are pleased to be working with him. This collaboration with Temple University is among several academic collaborations GVK BIO has with leading research institutions.”