Drug Discovery Centers

KU Specialized Chemistry Center

Therapeutic Approaches: Small Molecules

Therapeutic Areas of Expertise: Infectious Diseases, Metabolic Disorders, Neurological Disorders, Oncology, Psychiatric Disorders, Pain

Center/Program Highlights:The University of Kansas has a distinguished history in drug discovery that includes enabling technologies in drug design, high-throughput chemistry and screening, delivery, and formulation. To abet the individual efforts of numerous faculty members interested in the discovery of small molecules for use as pharmacological probes and drug candidates, core laboratories have been established for (1) small molecule library synthesis, (2) compound management, purification and analysis, (3) property optimization, (4) high-throughput screening, and (5) preliminary PK analysis of candidate compounds. These efforts have been facilitated through the generous support of the Molecular Libraries Initiative (the KU Specialized Chemistry Center is a member of the NIH Small Molecular Probe Production Center Network) and the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences (through their support of the Chemical Methodologies and Library Development center). Through these programs, KU investigators currently collaborate with over 50 scientific groups worldwide, including many at the KU Medical Center (KUMC). Work with KUMC includes basic science support of programs in cancer biology, drug repurposing, and translational science.

Sources of Funding: Federal/State, Industry Partnerships, University

Industrial Partnerships: Eli Lilly (PD2)