InhibOx and The National Foundation for Cancer Research Launch Powerful Computational Drug Screening Tool

Download image

A F NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH LOGO NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH LOGO National Foundation for Cancer Research logo. (PRNewsFoto/National Foundation for Cancer Research)[AS] BETHESDA AND VIENNA, MD UNITED STATES AND ...

    BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Foundation for
 Cancer Research (NFCR), a Bethesda-based leading cancer research charity in
 the US, and InhibOx, a computational drug discovery company located in
 Oxford, UK, announced today that they have joined forces to launch a
 powerful new computational drug screening tool, DrugFinder. This new tool
 enables scientists to leverage the power of computer-aided virtual drug
 screening technology for novel cancer drug discovery and development and
 will accelerate the speed of drug discovery.
 
     (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070925/CLTU127LOGO )
 
     Using a web-based interface ( http://www.inhibox.com/DrugFinder ),
 researchers from around the world will now be able to submit a target (such
 as a cancer related protein) structure together with a known inhibitor
 compound through the Internet to the DrugFinder service. InhibOx will use
 its in-house computing facilities and expertise to screen chemical compound
 database against the target. The docking and ligand-based approaches will
 be used in combination during the screening process and the "hit" compounds
 identified will be returned to the user. It is estimated that this could
 speed up the drug discovery process by as much as 4 years. Part of the
 service is offered to the public free of charge, providing additional
 resources to the public efforts in new drug discovery.
 
     "Our DrugFinder service offers the scientists around world a unique and
 powerful virtual screening tool for the development of novel drugs at very
 early stage along the development pipe line, which will significantly
 reduces the time and costs for new drug discovery and development," said
 Dr. Michael Wang, Chief Science Officer of NFCR. "Patients will benefit
 from the success of this new initiative," Dr. Wang continued.
 
     DrugFinder service is built upon the successful Peer-to-Peer
 Networking, Screensaver-Lifesaver project, which was initiated by NFCR at
 the NFCR Center for Computational Drug Discovery in the Chemistry
 Department of the University of Oxford in collaboration with United Devices
 Inc. in 2001. Ended in 2007, the Screensaver-Lifesaver Project received
 tremendous public support from over 3.5 million personal computers in more
 than 200 countries and obtained sponsorship at various times from many
 corporations including Intel, Microsoft and IBM. In the 7 years of
 operation time, the project achieved incredible success and produced very
 important and promising results.
 
     About InhibOx
 
     InhibOx was founded in 2001 by Professor W. Graham Richards, Chairman
 of Chemistry at the University of Oxford and a world leading computational
 chemist. The company was a spin-off from the outstandingly successful
 Screensaver-Lifesaver project initiated and funded by NFCR. Subsequently,
 InhibOx has built up a significant technology platform, including Scopius,
 a regularly updated database of millions of commercially available chemical
 compounds. InhibOx is committed to discovering and developing entirely
 novel, accurate and effective computational methods for drug discovery to
 improve the productivity of lead and drug candidate identification. For
 more information, please go to http://www.inhibox.com .
 
     About NFCR
 
     Since its founding, the NFCR has spent more than $250 million funding
 cancer research and prevention education focused on understanding how and
 why cells become cancerous. NFCR is dedicated to funding scientists who are
 discovering cancer's molecular mysteries and translating these discoveries
 into therapies that hold the hope for curing cancer. For more information,
 visit http://www.NFCR.org or call (800) 321-CURE.
 
 
 

SOURCE The National Foundation for Cancer Research