Our Discovery Approach

We have assembled a comprehensive, integrated and effective approach to ion channel drug discovery that is allowing us to exploit multiple opportunities.

Our key competitive advantage is our integrated, proprietary discovery platform that allows us to develop novel drug candidates by generating key functional (i.e. electrophysiological) data early in the discovery process and employing this data to accelerate medicinal chemistry and lead optimization. We have assembled a high quality, ion channel-focused, compound library and chemoinformatic database (“XENBASE”) that permits the development of new pharmacophores making use of high quality electrophysiology data. This approach offers significant advantages during the optimisation and development of selective ion channel drugs. Thus, our approach utilizes automated electrophysiology, ion channel-focused compound libraries and chemoinformatics operated seamlessly by experienced biologists and chemists.

In addition, our extensive range of cell lines expressing ion channels allows us to take a "gene family" approach to discovery. Thus, by undertaking screening against closely related targets within the same gene family for which there are diverse applications, it is possible to capture substantial synergies in the development of the chemistry that modulates these targets and thus rapidly progress multiple projects.

We have also assembled the development expertise required to progress drug candidates through pre-clinical and early clinical development and are utilizing this expertise to develop a portfolio of clinical drug candidates.