Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced that the University of Dublin has purchased the Maybridge Ro3 Diversity Fragment library for use in a new drug discovery program. As an institution known for its world-class biomedical research, the University is the first organization in the Republic of Ireland to undertake a fragment-based screening programme. With possible applications in the fight against viral replication, bacterial infections and Alzheimer's disease, this research has the potential to provide significant therapeutic advances.

Dr. Neil Ferguson's team - the UCD Biomolecular Interactions Group - combines state-of-the-art biophysical and structural biology methodologies to unravel the molecular structures and forces that cause human diseases. By incorporating the Maybridge Ro3 library into his existing multi-disciplinary approach, Dr. Ferguson adds a new dimension to his team's research and their ability to identify potential drug compounds. The Ro3 library will enable the team to pursue challenging targets (such as those incompatible with conventional HTS programmes), neglected diseases and, in many cases, new targets emerging from his basic research programmes.

"Combining the power of fragment-based drug discovery with our high-end instrumentation, we can effectively tackle our ever-expanding portfolio of therapeutic targets," said Dr. Ferguson. "Our aim is to identify novel leads that can develop into next-generation therapeutics. I gave long and serious consideration to the fragment library that we would use for this new initiative.  Among the key criteria were the chemical diversity, validated solubility profiles and a proven track record in hit identification. The ready availability of its components in bulk format and their superior stability also makes the Maybridge Ro3 library an excellent choice for further development of the downstream medicinal chemistry."

Dr. Ferguson concluded, "We feel that our current skill set, therapeutic targets, biophysical infrastructure and the Maybridge Ro3 library all place us well to make a serious fragment-based drug discovery effort within the academic sphere - watch this space!"

The Maybridge Ro3 Diversity Fragment library is a resource of more than 1500, hand-selected, compound fragments and small molecule pharmacophores. Selection criteria include the compliance with the "Rule of Three" (Ro3) for lead generation and for the superior solubility profile of the compound. This highly diverse fragment library is available as three 500-compound sets; each compound in the library is pre-solubilised as a 1 mL, 10 mM solution, providing 10 µMol of 95 percent purity material dissolved in analytical grade DMSO.

For further information on this product please visit www.maybridge.com.
 

About Maybridge Products

The Maybridge product line, part of Thermo Fisher Scientific, features highly innovative drug-like molecules and screening compounds for drug discovery and development. Available for both lab and development scale, the offering continually expands with the production of novel heterocyclic and phenyl ring-based chemical building blocks, including a unique and growing range of reactive intermediates. For more information about Maybridge brand products visit www.maybridge.com or call +44 18 40 77 05 67. 

About Thermo Fisher Scientific

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE: TMO) is the world leader in serving science. Our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. With revenues of nearly $11 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and serve customers within pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals and clinical diagnostic labs, universities, research institutions and government agencies, as well as in environmental and process control industries. We create value for our key stakeholders through two premier brands, Thermo Scientific and Fisher Scientific, which offer a unique combination of continuous technology development and the most convenient purchasing options. Our products and services help accelerate the pace of scientific discovery, and solve analytical challenges ranging from complex research to routine testing to field applications. Visit www.thermofisher.com.