Integrated drug discovery solution for Small molecule
How Small Molecules are used in drug discovery?
Small molecules have consistently enabled medical breakthroughs and tackling unmet medical needs. Besides, small molecules have been vital as chemical probes in biomedical research, aiding understanding of disease biology.
Traditional drugs based on small-molecule developed strongly over the past century. However, newer modalities, such as proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) and RNA-targeting small molecules (RSMs), as well as biological approaches, such as antibody-based therapy and cell and gene therapy, have been added to the drug discovery toolbox.
Process of small molecule development
Small molecule drug discovery is the process of discovering and developing new drugs that are composed of relatively small organic molecules. These drugs are usually designed to interact with specific targets in the body, such as enzymes, receptors, or ion channels, and modify their activity to treat or prevent diseases.
The process of small molecule drug discovery typically involves several stages, including target identification and validation, hit identification and lead optimization, preclinical testing, and clinical trials.
During target identification and validation, researchers use various tools and techniques to identify potential therapeutic targets, such as high-throughput screening, genetic studies, and bioinformatics analysis (EXPLORE).
With hit identification, we identify compounds that have the potential to bind to a specific target protein and modulate its activity in a desired way. From a Hit finding campaign which identified several hit series, hit qualification is carried out by various orthogonal methods, including biophysical assays, in order to recommend the most promising Hit series for initiation of Hit-To-Lead (H2L) process.
Once a target is identified, researchers begin the process of lead identification and optimization, where they identify small molecules that can interact with the target and modify its activity in a desired way. This involves screening large libraries of small molecules using various assays and selecting compounds with the desired activity and pharmacokinetic properties.
Selected compounds then undergo further optimization to improve their potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetic properties. Preclinical testing is then conducted to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profile of the lead compound in animal models. If the results are promising, the compound advances to clinical trials, where it is tested in humans to evaluate its safety and efficacy.
Overall, small molecule drug discovery is a complex and resource-intensive process that involves interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists, biologists, pharmacologists, and clinicians. Despite the challenges, it is a critical component of most modern medicine and has led to the discovery of many life-saving drugs.
Oncodesign Services, a partner to accelerate your small molecule development
Oncodesign Services offers a complete solution through the entire small molecule drug discovery value chain from hit-finding, hit to lead, lead optimization, preclinical candidate through to IND-filing, aiming to deliver and accelerate the entry of high quality new chemical entities into the clinic.
Our Services for Small molecule drug discovery
Small molecule hits are identified, controled and selected using a variety of experimental screening technologies and succeeded CRO services including:
- DNA-encoded libraries
- Fragment screening
- AI-guided hit design
- Assay development
- Protein synthesis
- Computer Aided Drug Design
- Medicinal chemistry
- Phenotypic screening
- In vitro biology
- DMPK/ADME
- Bioanalytical development
- Biomarker analysis
- In vivo pharmacology
- Pharmaco-imaging
Oncodesign Services brings the right skills, expertise and discovery platforms to design and deliver new clinical chemical entities in therapeutic areas such as oncology, immuno-oncology, and immuno-inflammation.