Newswise — Magellan BioScience Group, Inc. (Magellan), a pioneer in innovative drug development from marine sources, and investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona (Burnham) announced today that they will begin a multidisciplinary drug discovery collaboration to identify novel marine microbial compounds that have potential as tools for biological research and ultimately the discovery of new medicines.
This collaboration will bring together Magellan's unique collection of marine-derived microorganisms and their natural product chemistry expertise with Burnham's ultra-high throughput small molecule screening technologies that were recently established at the Lake Nona, Florida campus. The Burnham-Magellan team will utilize Burnham's state-of-the-art robotic screening system to run bioassays and characterize lead candidates from the collection. The Burnham team of medicinal chemists will then optimize novel compounds to afford potential biological probes and preclinical drug candidates. The groups' combined expertise in sophisticated chemistry approaches and access to advanced screening technologies, will accelerate early discovery and drug development efforts.
"We are excited to initiate this discovery collaboration with Burnham," said Dr. Todd R. Daviau, CEO of Magellan. "Burnham's scientific and technological approach coupled with their highly-qualified and industry-experienced research teams constitutes a significant opportunity for the discovery and development of new pharmaceutical candidates."
Burnham's ultra-high throughput screening resource resides within the Conrad Prebys Center for Chemical Genomics and is one of four NIH sponsored comprehensive screening and probe development centers in the United States. The fully-integrated automated system combining robotic screening with high-content image analysis, hit-to-probe chemistry, exploratory pharmacology expertise and informatics, provides a technology platform that is virtually unprecedented in the not-for-profit research world.
"The Burnham-Magellan collaboration will involve some of the first assays to be processed through our new small molecule screening center at Lake Nona. This is a powerful partnership that will advance both science and regional development and is representative of the collaborations that were envisioned by Burnham as we established an east coast campus in Florida," said Dr. Gregory Roth, associate professor and director of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology at Burnham.
About Magellan:
Magellan BioScience Group, Inc., based in Tampa, Fla., is a privately held innovative biotechnology company focused on the discovery of novel classes of therapeutic candidates. Magellan is using its integrated platform technologies to isolate and identify new biologically active compounds. The company believes that its library of marine microbes will be the next source of drug discovery for the pharmaceutical industry. Magellan aims to develop and optimize drug candidates to treat cancer, infectious diseases, and inflammation. For additional information, please refer to the company's web site at www.magellanbioscience.com.
About Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Burnham Institute for Medical Research is dedicated to revealing the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising the innovative therapies of tomorrow. Burnham, with operations in California and Florida, is one of the fastest-growing research institutes in the country. The Institute ranks among the top-four institutions nationally for NIH grant funding and among the top-25 organizations worldwide for its research impact. Burnham utilizes a unique, collaborative approach to medical research and has established major research programs in cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes, infectious and inflammatory and childhood diseases. The Institute is known for its world-class capabilities in stem cell research and drug discovery technologies. Burnham is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation. For more information, please visit www.burnham.org.
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