The EDDC Medicinal Chemistry (MedChem) team specializes in the design, synthesis and optimization of small molecule compounds that can be therapeutic candidates to treat human diseases. With a proven track record, the team adopts a data and hypothesis driven approach and complement it with computational tools.
More specifically, the MedChem team studies the physicochemical properties of small molecules and their interactions with biological systems to develop new drugs that modulate specific biological processes in the body. We work to translate compounds from an early stage hit to a well-optimized lead by fine-tuning the pharmacological properties, such as potency, selectivity, and pharmacokinetics. The lead is then further optimized to a preclinical candidate that has met the criteria of the Target Product Profile, with sufficient evidence of biological activity at a target relevant to the disease as well as acceptable safety and drug-like properties before advancing to the clinic. The design and optimization process is heavily guided by structure-activity relationship derived knowledge, computer-aided molecular design to prioritize, and the synthesis is performed by an in-house team of seasoned organic chemists.
Computational Chemistry plays an integral role in EDDC’s MedChem efforts. Key areas of expertise include chemoinformatic analysis of chemical libraries, target druggability assessment, molecular modeling to predict and rationalize protein-ligand interactions, large scale virtual screening to complement EDDC’s hit finding efforts and molecular dynamics simulation to better understand the dynamic behavior between a target and ligands in solution.
Beyond our core, the MedChem team actively explores new innovations and advances in chemistry to enhance EDDC’s internal work processes. By working closely with our biology colleagues, we strive to enrich EDDC’s pipeline by proposing new biological targets, finding alternative mechanisms of inhibiting targets, and creating innovative platforms.