About Us
Section: About Us
The DDP is a strategic and bold move by the Georgetown Medical Center to engage the future of drug discovery. Historically problematic areas for academia include pace of drug discovery, the funding of this type of endeavor, development of sufficient infrastructure and aligning strategic partnerships. We anticipate that the DDP and its partners will have a key role in successfully translating our basic science discoveries towards the clinic by providing focused efforts and resources in these key areas.
The DDP will provide value adding activities by engaging in : discovery of small molecules that modulate proteins and pathways of interest at GUMC. The DDP will provide synthetic support for protein, and cell assays and preclinical and ADME/tox studies. Completion of this process will result in better opportunities for strategic partnerships towards commercialization and improving the healthcare of our patients.
Our engagement will enrich existing academic programs at GUMC through education, advancement of cutting edge research, foster interdepartment and intraschool collaborations and facilitate the creation of a global vision in drug discovery. Ultimately, the DDP will help to develop and propagate intellectual property and scholarship, two of GUMC’s most valuable resources.
In 2000, the U.S. Senate Joint Economic Committee concluded that “the contribution of universities and other public research institutions was instrumental in developing fifteen of the twenty-one drugs considered by experts to have had the highest therapeutic impact.” (citation: The Benefits of Medical Research and The Role of the NIH. Washington, D.C., Office of the Chairman, Senate Joint Economic Committee; 2000). This astounding statistic suggest that academia can provide a fertile ground for drug discovery. Together with strong strategic partnerships with industry and governmental agencies, we look forward to a successful future.