From the Web site, scientists can locate compounds for the drug discovery phase of research by sketching a portion of the chemical structure, then purchasing individual compounds in small quantities. Our breakthrough model introduces a new level of productivity and efficiency that could significantly increase the number of industry players and the pace of discoveries by an order of magnitude. In a few seconds the scientist can look at many different compounds that fit their specific research criteria.
Lead optimization is one of the longest stages in drug discovery and development.
This is in part because of the difficulty in securing compounds. Once a scientist has discovered a compound that has a positive effect, he or she must optimize the lead, which means testing similar chemicals that have the same positive effect, but without the negative side effects. To get those similar compounds, scientists often spend tens of thousands of dollars to contract custom synthesis of small chemical libraries from chemistry supply companies. Or they may build the compounds from scratch, which takes about three months and three thousand dollars per compound. The number of hits from screening often exceeds the capacity for lead optimization, so arbitrary decisions are often made regarding follow up.