Partnership to Explore Antibody-Assisted Drug Discovery

A new research consortium formed by the University of Leicester, MRC Technology and UCB aims to identify opportunities for drug discovery by utilising antibodies in structure-based drug discovery and design. Antibody use will enable identification and characterisation of novel regulatory or allosteric sites on therapeutic target proteins, act to stabilise functionally important protein conformational states, also characterise key structural features of complexes formed with activity modulating antibodies. The knowledge gained by this approach will be exploited to guide the discovery and design of novel small molecule therapeutics, addressing unmet clinical needs and delivering significant benefits for patients.

Antibody-assisted drug discovery is a relatively new field which builds on world-leading complementary research expertise in the UK, covering all aspects of monoclonal antibody production and structural biology. Combining expertise could lead to a step change in knowledge-based drug discovery and highlights the benefits of a public-private sector partnership approach to future drug discovery.

Justin Bryans, Director, Drug Discovery at MRC Technology, said: “As a charity, it is part of MRC Technology’s strategy to pursue riskier technologies if it can expedite new treatments to patients. Our capabilities in both antibody and small molecule drug discovery leave us ideally placed to help drive this new technology towards the clinic. Collaborating with UCB and the University of Leicester will undoubtedly help us achieve our ambition in this field.”