Scientists led by Clive Robinson, Professor in Respiratory Cell Science at St George’s, working in collaboration with Professor David Garrod at Manchester and a team from Domainex, have discovered drug-like compounds that inhibit Der p1, an enzyme that triggers asthma attacks. St George’s University of London and The University of Manchester have recently been awarded a £4 million research grant from the Wellcome Trust's Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative to take this research programme forward.

Domainex will apply its LeadBuilder technology - which uses state-of-the-art virtual screening capability to select chemical compounds suitable for rapid progression - and its medicinal chemistry expertise to assist the St George’s team to develop a drug candidate to take into clinical trials.

Founded in 2002, Domainex specializes in the provision of protein science and medicinal chemistry services to large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and to academic research groups. The company is also developing a pipeline of pre-clinical drugs and targets.

Eddy Littler, Chief Executive Officer of Domainex, said: “This collaboration with St George’s University of London and The University of Manchester demonstrates Domainex’s core expertise in computational and medicinal chemistry. It is also a testament to our commitment to the support of translational research in academia. The combination of LeadBuilder and our medicinal chemistry expertise creates a powerful drug discovery tool.”

Professor Clive Robinson said: “The innovative services provided by Domainex’s scientists, together with the support of the Wellcome Trust, will help us to accelerate the development of our exciting anti-asthma compounds."

Professor David Garrod said: “This is a most exciting development in a productive on-going collaboration that promises to bring real benefit to the millions who suffer from respiratory allergies.”