Drug Discovery

Florida Agricultural And Mechanical Univ, Tallahassee FL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The overall goal of the Drug Discovery Core (DDC) at Florida A&M University is to strengthen and expand the research infrastructure and provide needed resources and services that support multi-disciplinary (Pharmacy, Public Health, Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Biology, and Biomedical Engineering) investigators' research initiatives, as well as foster collaboration by creating a conducive environment for research in the biomedical sciences. The need for developing safer chemotherapeutic agents with known mechanisms of action leading to the treatment of cancers and infectious diseases, that affect especially disadvantaged and minority populations is very critical. The proposed DDC has a strong drug discovery base and will be engaged in an aggressive exploration for new curative anticancer (breast, lung and prostate cancer) and anti-infective agents through expanded multi-disciplinary and external collaboration. Specifically, researchers across discipline will be provided services such as spectral analysis, separation techniques, data-sharing and computer-based molecular modeling for drug design and synthetic goals. The current existing core has a pool of an average of 18 major users (and numerous research associates). The number of minority investigators will increase by 20% percent if support of the proposed core is continued. The expansion of the DDC will strengthen the achievements of the existing collaborations on campus and will focus the institution's drug development strategy on effective treatments for diseases affecting disadvantaged population groups. The difficulty in establishing a vibrant drug discovery research core at Historically Black Colleges and Universities is due to the lack of adequate resources, trained investigators and research infrastructure. The promotion of the DDC will further assist the institution efforts to achieve this unmet dire need.