MEIS proteins are implicated in various cellular processes including regeneration, stem cell/progenitor function, cellular metabolism, cell proliferation, redox state, apoptosis. The benefit presents to the targeted drug discovery market is to provide tools to modulate molecular mechanisms of the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and obesity.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) including cardiovascular disorders (CVDs), obesity, diabetes and cancer present difficult challenges as the subject of basic research activities towards understanding their progression and biology. In order to improve the treatment procedures with targeted approaches, the pharmaceutical industry needs new molecular agents that can exploit the genetic and molecular dependencies of the NCDs.
Small molecules are increasingly being used as tools to modulate signalling pathways and understand the molecular basis of diseases. Whether to regulate stem cell biology by affecting reprogramming or to better understand the mechanism of cancers by targeting tumorigenic signalling nodes, the right small molecule can transform a research finding to the development of therapeutics.
Drug discovery of small molecules from target selection through to clinical evaluation is a very complex, challenging but rewarding area of investment. There are many obstacles along the journey from initial hit-finding activities, through optimization of compounds and eventually to delivery of robust candidate drugs for clinical evaluation.
The aim of the project is to investigate the feasibility of the business opportunities based on the drug-like substance “MEISi”, which specifically targets the deadliest noncommunicable diseases; cardiovascular disorders, obesity, diabetes and cancer. Divided into two main categories as Research-use-Only Molecules and Pharmaceutical Drugs, potential strengths and weaknesses of all product alternatives are separately assessed in terms of both technical and business aspects.
The technical studies cover detailed descriptions of the projected products, corresponding development and industrialization plans, an overview of international standards and current regulations in the targeted markets as well as risk management studies.
An in-depth market analysis conducted based on several market segments such as drug discovery processes, medical application fields and regional differences. The recent sectoral trends, potential customer/user analysis, competition analysis based on SMEs with similar focus and a detailed overview of market opportunities and barriers were also reviewed in the feasibility study.
The feasibility report concludes with the reflections based on the major outcomes of the study and offers relevant recommendations. Results show that both Research-use-Only and Drug applications for MEISi show great economic potential, offering viable and sustainable business ventures. Hence the effective roadmap is currently drawn in such a way that, the necessary activities for both options will be performed simultaneously, enabling the company to pursue a variety of opportunities at the same time.
