Drug development: computers instead of test tubes
Pill CollectorYulia Gordienko, The Secret of the Firm magazine No. 12-2009
Published on the NanoNewsNet website"Down with outdated test tubes," Hermes Chilov, co–owner and head of the Molecular Technologies company, decided and developed a computer program with which you can simulate new drugs and discover previously unknown properties of already released drugs.
Pharmaceutical companies are still wary of breakthrough technology.
Most pharmaceutical companies still use experimental methods in the study of drugs, testing the effects of drugs on animals. "We have to sort through millions of connections," says Hermes Chilov. His computer program calculates the results of such influence automatically. It allows you to save tens of millions of dollars on the development of one drug, according to Chilov. However, the grandees of the pharmaceutical market treat promising computer technologies with great caution. "While the statistical developments are too small," Timofey Petrov, Deputy General Director of Pharm–Sintez, shares his doubts.
The market of computational chemistry, in which the North American companies Schroedinger, Accelrys, Tripos, Chemical Computing Group and the European BioSolveIT are most prominent today, is estimated by Chilov to be only about $100 million. The reason is the lack of accuracy of technology. According to the developer, the effectiveness of the Chilov program Lead Finder is 85% against 60-70% of competing programs.
Inspired by the result, Chilov came up with the idea of selling the program to pharmaceutical companies, but failed. Then he decided to do research in the field of medicines himself, but not to create new drugs, but to reposition them, that is, to find new useful properties from those already released.
It takes about ten years and about $1 billion to create a new drug. When repositioning, only one phase of clinical trials is needed, which proves effectiveness in a new field of application, because the drug has already been tested for safety. "Repositioning is one of the few opportunities for pharmaceutical companies to expand their audience relatively quickly," Timofey Petrov believes.
Having collected a database of drugs and proteins, Chilov tries to use his program to calculate repositioning options. He is not going to limit himself to virtual tests: having discovered a previously unknown property of some medicine, Chilov wants to conduct not computer tests, but real tests through specialized Western companies. After that, he plans to independently issue a patent for a new use of the drug and offer it to customers who own the rights to the active substance in such a "package".
According to Chilov, even one contract is enough to recoup all investments in repositioning (in addition to virtual modeling, different stages of drug testing will cost from $ 10 to several thousand dollars, and obtaining a patent will cost about $ 100 thousand).
The company is currently negotiating with the Bioprocess Capital Ventures direct Investment Fund (50% owned by VEB, 49% owned by RVC, 1% owned by the fund's venture specialists). If the deal goes through, according to Hermes Chilov, we can talk about $ 1 million of investments, which will allow us to find and test about ten compounds per year.
In 2008, "Molecular Technologies" signed a contract for the study of new therapeutic indications of the influenza remedy "Ingavirin" with the company "Valenta". In 2009, an agreement on the provision of services for the design of new drugs or the repositioning of old ones with Pharm-Synthesis was already concluded. It seems that the scientist managed to melt the ice of distrust of computational chemistry.
Expert opinion
Dmitry Vasyutinsky, Managing Director of venture Funds "Alliance-ROSNO Asset Management":
This is a lively and interesting topic. The classic methods of creating new drugs are multiple experiments that require a lot of money and time. If the technology really achieves what was stated, it will have buyers among large pharmaceutical companies.
Alexander Goncharenko, Financial Director of Alfa-Capital Management Company:
The project is aimed at a fairly narrow segment of pharmaceutical companies. If it really allows you to significantly reduce the time of testing and the cost of medicines, then it has every chance of success. But to do this, you need to imagine the technology of drug production, the procedures of clinical trials.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru10.12.2009