The teams of Prof Walker from Arizona State University and Prof Cronin from Glasgow University have won a challenge prize for innovative solutions working towards innovation in pain, opioid use disorder and overdose.
The joint team combines expertise in exploring chemical space using statistical methods (ASU) with a programmable chemical robot for molecular discovery and synthesis (GU). Their project proposes a solution called ‘Integrated Discovery Chemputer Toward Addiction Free Opiates (ChemOPs)’.
The challenge solution proposes an integrated solution that leverages the Glasgow-based programmable chemical robot, ‘the Chemputer’ for the design and discovery of new candidate molecules for drug discovery, using network approaches to exploring chemical space devised by the ASU team. The integrated system will link a chemical database with the generation of chemical code that will operate the Chemputer to then make the drug candidates.
The prize announcement can be found at https://ncats.nih.gov/aspire/2018ChallengeWinners#c5