drug discovery Computer Assisted Drug DIScovery (CADDIS®)
Rather than using sequential screening techniques that attempt to simplify the analyses in the early stages of drug discovery, Matrix Pharma uses its proprietary technology (CADDIS® - Computer Assisted Drug DIScovery) to mimic the complexity of the human body and simultaneously evaluate drug candidates based on a large number of variables. The fundamental difference between CADDIS® and traditional drug discovery is its multi-parameter research approach - CADDIS® searches for candidates that are a best fit for all necessary criteria from the outset of a project and as a result finds candidates optimized to succeed in clinical trials.
At the beginning of a project, some boundary conditions are defined: the set of criteria the desired compounds are to fulfill (and thus the assay systems to be used) and the class of chemical compounds from which the compounds are to be selected (RNAs, SOMs, peptides). Typically, Matrix Pharma start with an initial set of 100 compounds, which are selected as representatives of the chemical class under consideration. These compounds are synthesized and experimentally tested in all assay systems with regard to their actual activities - computer modelling is not used at this phase.
All assay data undergoes computer analysis and, based on the results, CADDIS® proposes a new set of compounds for synthesis and analysis. This cycle of "synthesis-experimental assay-data analysis" takes approximately 4-6 weeks, and is typically repeated 6-8 times. The final result is one or more Multi-Objective Leads (MOLs) - compounds that are simultaneously optimized with respect to multiple criteria without relying on the typical sequential screening approach.
The CADDIS® platform has been validated through the development of three drug discovery projects - a thrombin inhibitor, an antibiotic, and a fungicide - and has produced eleven patents.
