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Led by Dr Ben Davis of Vernalis Research, this presentation will give a brief overview of the processes involved in identifying and developing small molecule ligands for a therapeutically relevant target, and what is then needed to turn these ligands into clinical candidates, and eventually drugs. The emphasis will be on the early stages of target-based drug discovery; the various ways in which novel chemical matter can be identified and validated as interacting with the target, and some potential pitfalls that can be readily avoided.

Dr Ben Davis is the Director of Business Development and Research Fellow at Vernalis Research, a biotech company based in Cambridge UK which has been at the forefront of applying biophysics and fragment-based approaches to drug discovery since 1998. In particular, this has involved developing biophysical techniques to enable drug discovery against challenging therapeutic targets and systems, and in using NMR and other technologies to help guide medicinal chemistry programs where other structural methods are not readily applicable. Since 2022, he has been responsible for business development at Vernalis, supporting a broad collaborative business model where Vernalis’ extensive expertise can support a wide range of drug discovery partners.

For more information on Vernalis and Ben’s work, click here.