Medicines Discovery Catapult

We can help you understand your lead molecule or delivery technology by applying in vivo imaging to measure the biodistribution of labelled molecules (small molecules, antibodies and ADCs, nanomedicines) in real-time. This can assess the impact of different delivery methods on biodistribution and biological effects.

We can also apply mass spectrometry imaging and multiphoton imaging to measure the distribution of unlabelled molecules (and drug metabolites) in tissue sections.

We work with our community on identifying grants and other funding sources to accelerate their projects​.

Our experienced bids team have a wealth of grant expertise and work with our collaborators to give them the best chance of success​.

We share in the success of our collaborators and ensure the benefits are felt by the wider community.

We can help you navigate the drug discovery landscape. 

Our team have over 80 years combined experience across big pharma, SMEs, start-ups, spinouts - across different organisational and drug discovery stages 

The team can help you reach the stage where you have a drug ready to go to clinical trials, or the stage where you become an attractive acquisition target.

We can help you understand your lead molecule or delivery technology by applying in vivo imaging to measure the biodistribution of labelled molecules (small molecules, antibodies and ADCs, nanomedicines) in real-time. This can assess the impact of different delivery methods on biodistribution and biological effects.

We can also apply mass spectrometry imaging and multiphoton imaging to measure the distribution of unlabelled molecules (and drug metabolites) in tissue sections.

We can help you build a platform of evidence linking your drug molecule to modulation of its target protein and downstream biological effect, in relevant in vitro and in vivo assay systems.

• Advanced microscopy
• Mass spectrometry and mass spectrometry imaging
• Transcriptomics and biomarker signatures
• Preclinical Imaging

Together with a suite of molecular and cell biology methods.

Use data to understand and predict the increased effectiveness of bioinformatics. 

We apply best-practice bioinformatics services to test hypothesis or exploring large data sets, even working with you to develop new methods if needed. Our broad bioinformatics expertise across a range of research groups means we are likely to be familiar with your research topic and the best methods to analyse your data. Supporting your projects with our expertise in:

• Discovering & Connecting Data - make the best drug discovery decisions, with data analysis discovering & connecting bioinformatics data assets & secure sharing.
• Build New Algorithms - using our bioinformatics skills, extensive proprietary databases and market understanding, we can build algorithms to validate & drive adoption of your drug discovery.
• AI & Machine Learning Approach - use our AI and machine learning resources to predict & detect patterns in your bioinformatics, including DNA sequencing, protein classification & gene expressions.

Discovering and connecting data to build new algorithms, AI and machine learning approaches. 

Our deep expertise in scientific data analysis, information extraction, natural language processing, and machine learning enables the community to access our established expertise.

Using our informatics skills, extensive proprietary databases and algorithms, and market understanding, we can help validate and drive adoption of new data-driven approaches for:

• Scientific data analysis
• Information extraction
• Natural language processing
• Machine learning

3D organoid & organ-on-a-chip technology is helping to humanise our approach to drug discovery - with more sophisticated models of human organ systems.

Get in touch to test drugs in industry-validated models to increase your chance of clinical success and to gain access to:

• Expert Support - get guidance for the most appropriate models to test your hypotheses & test candidate drugs in validated models of human relevance.
• Partner & Commercial Expertise - we can offer partnership opportunities, including funding, resources & services to help with drug discovery & organ-on-a-chip research.
• Innovative Technologies - use models alongside our technologies to generate data that will enable you to select, optimise or withdraw drugs at earlier stages of drug discovery.

Cutting-Edge Mass Spectrometry Technology

To you achieve your goals, we have invested in cutting edge, direct-from-sample mass spectrometry technologies that enable us to rapidly measure biological ‘signatures’ from scarce molecular samples and look for spatial changes in drug and metabolite distribution. In addition, to provide the highest possible resolution, we have established the more traditional MS methods that use liquid chromatography to reduce the complexity of biological samples for analysis.

We have the following Mass Spectrometry Technology:

• ESI & DESI - we have standard and nanoESI sources for direct infusion MS experiments and for use with UPLC and nanoHPLC front-ends.
• REIMS - analyse phospholipids directly from samples, with iKnife technology for real-time characterisation of human tissue during electrosurgery. 
• AMI-MS - use an automated platform for contactless ionisation & droplet formation to analyse up to 100,000 individual samples per day. 

Identifying Biomarkers Characteristics for Disease and Responses to Drugs

Improve your understanding of drugs, disease and drug-target interactions within patients with a partner who can offer you technology and resources for biomarkers.

We can help you translate drugs from pre-clinical to a clinical setting, identifying drug dosages for patient benefit, select patients and treatment decisions, with our expert team on hand to give you scientific and commercial support. 

Our biomarkers service provides you access to:

• Cutting Edge Expertise - get access to cutting-edge expertise, with a fresh bold approach focused on patient outcomes.
• Partner & Commercial Expertise - we can offer partnership opportunities, including funding, resources & services to help with drug discovery.
• Extensive Proprietary Databases - using our medicine discovery skills, extensive proprietary databases & algorithms, we can help validate new data-driven approaches.