Drug Discovery
Mission:
The Drug Discovery Program (DDP) is a research initiative established to support translational research at GUMC, with a particular focus on Lombardi cancer projects. The program seeks to discover new drug treatments and diagnostic tools using integrated sciences to improve the healthcare of their patients. The DDP focuses on 1) identifying and synthesizing candidate drug compounds for selected molecular targets, 2) validating targets/compounds in cell models and pre-clinical studies, and 3) providing supporting experiments, large-scale synthesis and consultation to advance each of the candidate molecules towards the clinic.
Research Process:
The purpose of drug discovery is to develop molecules that interact with disease-causing proteins and half their action. Researchers use three different approaches to find these molecules: physical screening, virtual screening, and by protein structure-based design. After discovering a molecule, translational studies are conducted to determine if the potential drug is safe. Following the early determination of safety, clinical trials are conducted to further test for safety and then the drugs' effectiveness is examined.
Leadership:
Milton Brown, MD, PhD
Director, Drug Discovery Program
Associate Professor of Oncology
Notable Discoveries:
Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD, former associate dean for clinical research at Georgetown University Medical Center conducted research that provided the basis for the discovery of the popular anti-histamine drug fexofinadine (marketed as Allegra).
Richard Schlegel, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Pathology at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, directed the pioneering research that led to the world's first cervical cancer vaccine (Gardasil), which blocks two strains of the cervical cancer-causing Human Pappillomavirus (HPV).
