DDC proposed new scheme: Inflammatory & Autoimmune mechanisms of disease projects

Background: proposing new early drug discovery funding scheme

In the current funding environment it is particularly difficult to attract funding for early drug discovery activities i.e. target validation to lead optimisation (for more info about Drug Discovery see our guide).  The DDC are in discussions with funding agencies to develop schemes to support this area of work within Imperial.

We are developing a proposal that would grant the DDC a fund to "prime" early drug discovery projects at Imperial in the broad area of ‘Inflammatory and auto-immune mechanisms of disease’.  This fund would be managed by the DDC who would select, project manage and finance a small number projects with novel therapeutic approachs, to the point where they could attract more significant funding, progress towards candidates and ultimately be validated in the clinic.

Note:  The DDC are Imperial members of Staff (Faculty of Medicine) and are subject to the same ‘rewards for inventors’ agreement as all Imperial academics. There are no intellectual property issues and all IP will be dealt with via Imperial Innovations as normal.

Have you got a project that fits with this proposed scheme?

 Scope of the new scheme:

• early stages of drug discovery (from target hypothesis to early lead optimisation - see guide) 
• novel therapeutic approaches and/or signaling pathways
• topics within broad general definition of Inflammation. (e.g. inflammatory signaling pathways;  host defense; autoimmunity; inflammatory responses)

Example topics might include:

• vascular and cellular responses to harmful stimuli
• overactive responses to normal body components

If so please go our survey page.

Benefits to you of the proposed scheme & our ideal project/collaborator

Benefit of scheme to you:

• funds would be administered locally within Imperial and will help progress project to next stage/milestone
• access to DDC drug discovery expertise and support (medicinal & synthetic chemistry, molecular modeling, assay development, pharmacology, DMPK, project management)
• successful projects will naturally feed in to existing later-stage drug development funding schemes, attracting larger funds for project progression towards the clinic

Our ideal projects/collaborators will:

• collaborators will have a background body of knowledge and associated expertise which suggests a role within the Inflammation area
• project will have some of the following: proposed molecular target/signaling pathway; some level of target validation data; relevant assays/proteins synthesized; some tools for target validation;  relevant small molecule tools

Next Steps

• We will be submitting our full proposal to the funding body at the end of the summer
• We' want to know about projects from across the college that will fit with the proposed scheme, so if you have a project that fits with the scheme you'd like to let us know about, - fill out our survey form.
• If you have other feedback or queries on this proposal, please drop an e-mail to Cathy Tralau-Stewart.

Please send us all feedback ASAP as proposal is being prepared for submission in early September 2010.