SMU researchers have developed a set of computer-driven routines that can mimic chemical reactions in a lab, cutting the time and labor-related expense frequently required to find the best possible drug for a desired outcome.
The University has a patent pending for the computational routines under the name ChemGen. In addition to speeding the process of finding successful drugs for specific applications, ChemGen will allow smaller labs to contribute to meaningful research at a level many cannot currently afford.
"ChemGen has the ability to replace a team of 20 highly-skilled organic chemists in the optimization of a molecule of interest," said lead inventor John Wise, an SMU professor who specializes in structural biochemistry. "We're basically arming an army of smaller labs to do really sophisticated research.
"I would also hope that major drug companies take advantage of this technology, too," Wise said. ChemGen could potentially empower a building full of skilled chemists to dramatically increase their productivity from working on as few as six problems a year to as many as 60, he said.
"That's going to make new drugs come out faster and cheaper, which is exactly what we need for the coronavirus and whatever comes next," Wise said.
Currently, it can take 12 to 15 years for a new drug to work its way through the design, development, testing and approval process for use in patients. And while the mean cost of drug development to manufacturers is the subject of debate, estimates place that cost as high as $2.6 billion.
Wise has been working for more than a decade with other SMU scientists, including students, to develop what became ChemGen.
