HIT TO LEAD

The goal of hit to lead process is to select the most promising series, through limited structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies, to identify attractive compound classes to enter the Lead Optimization phase. Whether your therapeutic goal focuses on developing a small molecule, or other biological drug, our team’s award-winning chemistry experience ensures your initial hits will see a significant improvement in their properties to fulfill the necessary criteria to enter the Lead Optimization phase. We do so through our expertise. 

Dedicated medicinal chemistry, and biochemistry teams synthesize or prepare analogues, and fully qualify your original hit series, selecting the most promising compounds for the next phase. This includes the evaluation of chemical alternatives to hits with limited SAR, with low metabolic stability or poor selectivity, and patent space assessments to ensure the patentability of a novel chemical entity. A specifically designed validation funnel ensures each molecule is extensively tested to meet the criteria to enter the Lead optimization phase. Early ADME support provides additional information to ensure that the appropriate testing strategy will be in place when the compounds move to the next stage of the drug discovery process.

• Hit ranking and clustering of hit series identified through screening platforms
• In silico profiling of compounds, including scaffold hopping and pharmacophore modelling
• Computer-assisted drug design tools to test chemical modifications and evaluate scaffold-hopping approaches
• Advanced chemical synthesis for hit expansion of small molecules
• Bioisosteric replacement with innovative heterocycle system 
• Multi-dimensional optimization of drug-like properties
• Initial improvement of ADME properties
• Experimental evaluation of ADME properties such as LogP, LogD, solubility,  in vitro metabolic stability,  biological fluids stability, long term stability of compounds, membrane  permeability 
• NMR support 

With a strategy designed specifically for your project, and a dedicated team working around the clock to ensure the generation of extremely promising compounds during the hit-to-lead phase, your drug discovery program advances smoothly and capably, delivering striking compounds and superior confidence in the overall success of your project.