Chemistry Colloquium: Dr. Darren Reid

Dr. Darren L. Reid will be the guest speaker for the Nov. 13th Chemistry & Biochemistry Colloquium:Staging InnovaIve Drug Candidates for Success - Molecule Assessment. Dr. Reid is Director of Process Development, Drug Product Technologies at Amgen.

Abstract:

Therapeutic drug strategies are rapidly evolving in the postgenomic era, expanding the druggable target space. In this new era, a transition is occurring in drug discovery towards novel approaches to bind and modulate challenging biological targets that have led to transformative treatments for patients. In the small molecule space, drugging novel targets using a variety of molecular modalities and strategies, such as PROTACs (protein-targeted chimeras), pro-drugs, and covalent binders, have become a key focus in drug discovery. The challenges these strategies present for drug development will be discussed, including how molecule assessment and form selection are used to help achieve suitable bioavailability, stability (chemical/physical) and manufacturability, making delivery to patients possible. Data science (Atlas Synthetics), modeling (Zeneth), and automation tools being used and developed to support these efforts at Amgen will be reviewed. A case study will be shared describing how molecule assessment and form selection supported the accelerated development of LUMAKRAS™(sotosasib), the first treatment for patients with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastaLc non-small cell lung cancer.