How does a growing biotechnology company get advice from expert medicinal chemists without setting up its own facility?
How does a growing biotechnology company get advice from expert medicinal chemists without setting up its own facility? The answer for drug discovery company F2G is NCE Discovery, an offshoot of the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research based at University College in London, which offers a full and comprehensive medicinal chemistry service.
According to F2G's executive chairman Will Gissane, "F2G spun out from the University of Manchester and is now one of the only drug discovery companies to specialise in antifungals.
We have extensive facilities for molecular biology and compound screening, as well as many experienced people developing antifungal drugs.
The one thing we were missing was medicinal chemists to construct synthetic libraries for our whole cell screening programme and this is why we first contacted NCE Discovery.
Over time, we have consulted the company on other issues, including setting up databases and making specific compounds, but perhaps the most astounding help we have had has been in recruiting our own medicinal chemists.
Most medicinal chemistry companies would see this as a threat but, in reality, it has helped us to build up an excellent degree of trust that will pave the way for a long-term relationship between us." "Overall, the unique advantage of NCE Discovery has been its excellent mode of business.
It offers a wide range of expertise and can match a company's growth with services.
It has been of great help to F2G in its embryonic stage and even when we are more established, I can still foresee a need for independent ad hoc advice.
When that need arises, we will readily turn to such seasoned medicinal chemists as the team at NCE."
