Academic Drug Discovery Units in the UK: Progress and challenges.

Abstract

The contributions of academic drug discovery are well characterised in the US context but less well understood elsewhere. This paper provides a UK perspective, focusing on the activities of Drug Discovery Units (DDUs). These units have established themselves as coordinators of translational research, working at the early stages of the drug pipeline to link up the academic and industry capabilities needed to take drug candidates towards the market. Drawing on publicly available sources and interviews with staff from a range of DDUs, the paper reveals DDUs' progress and challenges. While most DDUs have established collaborations with industry, the goal of taking drugs to market remains some way ahead for the vast majority, while sustainable funding is increasingly a concern.