IMI 5th Call for Proposals 2012
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has issued its 5th Call for Proposals. The call consists of one theme, 'the European Lead Factory', which comprises two topics: - 'European Screening Centre'; - 'Joint European Compound Collection'. Discovery of novel small molecule lead structures is a major driver of the early drug discovery process. Among a diverse set of discovery strategies, experimental high-throughput screening (HTS) of comprehensive compound collections has provided a major avenue towards lead structure identification. While academic screening activities are by design not intended to copy industrial hit and lead discovery, they provide a rich source of novel ideas on molecular targets, disease-relevant pathways, and assay approaches. In contrast, industry screening activities aim to deliver hits ideally combining chemical novelty with medicinal utility. The European Lead Factory is intended to bridge the gap between academic and applied research by providing an 'industry-like' small molecule discovery platform to public investigators with innovative ideas for discovery programmes targeting both lead structures for drug development or high quality probes for target research. The Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking is a public-private partnership aiming to foster collaboration between all relevant stakeholders including large and small biopharmaceutical and healthcare companies, regulators, academia and patients.For more information on the call, please visit: http://www.imi.europa.eu/content/stage-1-3(opens in new window)