[UPDATED] The Ultimate Guide to Drug Discovery and Development: Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery
[This post has been updated to reflect new metrics in the “Successes” section and to include new maps showing locations of national and global clinical trial sites.]
We continue our cluster of stories about drug discovery and development by shining a spotlight on the Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery, or PIDD. The institute was founded in 2013 to leverage the university’s strengths across all points of the drug discovery pipeline with the goal of accelerating the translation of basic research into life-changing treatments.
Philosophy
Zhong-Yin Zhang is director of the PIDD. He also is head of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Distinguished Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, and the Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Chair in Pharmacology. Zhang explained how leveraging Purdue University’s strengths can lead to life-impacting results.
“We provide a collaborative platform that brings together chemists, biologists, pharmaceutical scientists, and engineers to advance curiosity-driven research, develop technologies to improve efficiency of drug discovery, and enable the translation of basic discoveries into clinical applications that will directly impact patient care,” Zhang said.
Successes
The impact already is happening. Since the institute’s founding, affiliated faculty have:
· Advanced 27 drugs into human clinical trials
· Received FDA approval for 3 drugs (Cytalux, Pluvicto, and Locametz)
· Published more than 4,200 scholarly articles
· Filed more than 500 U.S. patents
· Been issued more than 400 U.S. patents
· Raised roughly $525 million in total funding, and
· Founded 38 startup companies, which together have raised more than $390 million in venture capital and $2 billion from acquisitions.
More than 80 compounds discovered at Purdue currently are in the drug development pipeline, including more than a dozen in active clinical trials. In total, Purdue discovered drugs have been tested at over 1,900 research hospitals and clinics worldwide, including 47 of the 50 states. The pharmaceuticals cover a broad range of disorders and diseases, but the institute’s strengths primarily focus on oncology, neurological disorders/diseases of the central nervous system, and infectious diseases.
Several success stories about Purdue researchers and their work at the institute are published online. The faculty come from disciplines as diverse as the College of Pharmacy, College of Science and School of Veterinary Medicine.
Facilities and partnerships
The Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery provides spaces for analytical chemistry, biochemistry, cell culture, fluorescent imaging, molecule purification and organic synthesis. Researchers are able to pursue drug discovery, drug delivery and commercialization activities at more than 60 other affiliated core facilities at the university’s West Lafayette campus.
To expand its worldwide prominence in drug discovery, Purdue seeks partnerships with foundations, non-profit companies, research institutions, medical centers and pharmaceutical companies. Clinical partnerships have been forged with Houston Methodist Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, and the University of Pennsylvania; industry partnerships have been made with many companies such as Endocyte (now part of Novartis) and OnTarget Laboratories; and non-profit/foundation partnerships have been established with the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute and Eli Lilly. Organizations interested in exploring opportunities with the Institute for Drug Discovery should contact Karson Putt, managing director, at puttk@purdue.edu or 765–494–7125.
Donate
Zhong-Yin Zhang said the institute has had many several successes, but more milestones remain to be reached.
“While the Purdue University Institute for Drug Discovery has successfully moved many newly discovered drugs into human clinical trials, dozens of other promising drugs languish on the shelves waiting for enough funding to be tested in clinical trials,” Zhang said.
“You can take an important step toward helping us further advance these drugs with a financial gift to the Institute for Drug Discovery. Large or small, every gift strengthens our operations and our community of support.”
Individuals and groups can support the institute through a financial gift made on the institute’s website. Gifts can be made to the Director’s Discretionary Fund, Clinical Translational Fund and Collaboration Seed Fund, or be shared for equipment and student training fellowships.
There also are startup company investment opportunities. Contact Karson Putt, managing director, at 765–494–7125 or puttk@purdue.edu for additional information.
Want to learn more about the process of drug discovery and development at Purdue University? Start with our first installment of this series, The Ultimate Guide to Drug Discovery and Development: https://medium.com/purdue-research-foundations-the-line/the-ultimate-guide-to-drug-discovery-and-development-the-process-7e32524b3555
