Lead Discovery Siena
Lead Discovery Siena (LDS) is a start-up and innovative PMI focused on the research for new drugs and providing services in drug discovery.
LDS was founded as a spin-off of the University of Siena in 2012 to combine the wide scientific background and the entrepreneurship of its management and offer specific solutions and competences in the drug discovery area to both academic and industrial partners.
LDS actively participates to national and international projects, with a special attention to local synergies at industrial and academic level within the Life Science area.
Discovery&Development Services
LDS offers:
- Integrated medicinal chemistry services, including computational chemistry, synthesis, ADME/PK and biological testing to guide and support the design and development of a new potential drug up to pre-clinical phase, through small molecule rational design, pharmacological and physico-chemical profiling.
- A wide range of biological services to support drug discovery and optimization programmes including protein production and purification, assay development and validation, target-based and whole-cell HTS and compound profiling, optimization of biologicals (therapeutic proteins) and protein engineering.
- Specific expertise in anticancer agent bioconjugation with antibodies, including development of conjugation techniques with custom antibodies, development of attaching mode of custom toxins to antibodies, development of proprietary antibodies bioconjugated with innovative mode of action.
Research&Development
LDS has its own project portfolio for oncology and infective indications, including antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents, and rare diseases. LDS owns the intellectual property rights for the anticancer and antibacterial compound families. Some projects have been originally developed within the academic groups of the founder members, and LDS further support their progression towards the clinic thanks to its specific competences.
The most advanced project is focused on the development of new drugs for the glioblastoma treatment. These molecules have been widely profiled in vitro and have shown a clear efficacy in glioblastoma mice model.
LDS is looking for suitable opportunities to combine experience and resources with other organisations where specific projects may benefit in the form either of collaborations at various phases during the life of a program or through out-licensing of specific small molecules or classes.
