Seeding Drug Discovery frequently asked questions

What if there is no in-house resource for drug discovery, only disease biology?
This is very likely to be the case for most proposals and can be managed by using contract research organisations, such as for medicinal chemistry or analysis of drug distribution and metabolism. We prefer outsourcing such as under the Seeding Drug Discovery (SDD) initiative, rather than funding being used to develop new capacity.

What is the duration of a project?
Project duration will be determined by how advanced the candidate compounds have to be to have a good prospect of attracting third-party funding. Typically, this will be to the stage of selection of an optimised lead molecule. On this basis, projects beginning with a confirmed chemical hit starting point may take two to three years; projects may take less time if the starting point is more advanced.

How does the Seeding Drug Discovery initiative impact on the existing Translation Award scheme?
SDD will operate in parallel with the Translation Award scheme. The latter will remain an open call for translational proposals except that projects directed at chemical compound drug discovery will now be considered only under SDD. If you have a well-validated target but no chemical starting point for drug discovery you should contact Technology Transfer to help establish the correct route for your proposal.

What are the arrangements for funding?
In the case of not-for-profit organisations, our standard Grant Conditions are modified in a SDD funding agreement [Word 188KB] to be completed between us and the institution. This reflects the strategic nature of the award and our need to be involved in the governance and conduct of the project. The agreement also covers arrangements for intellectual property management, which differ from the Grant Conditions, as we may take a more direct role in translating any outcomes. Companies will normally be funded under an SDD convertible loan agreement [Word 309KB], which will provide for Trust involvement in conduct of the project and also intellectual property management.

What are the implications if a milestone is not met?
If, in our opinion and under the terms of the funding agreement, a milestone has not been met and there is no viable and acceptable contingency plan, we may exercise our right to terminate the funding. The award recipient is expected to take account of the milestone nature of the awards when entering into contractual commitments related to the award. In the event of early termination by the Trust, the award recipient will not be required to repay the cost of any non-cancellable commitments incurred prior to the date of termination, and any legitimate redundancy payments resulting from such termination may be funded out of the award monies.

What is a well-validated target?
Guidance is provided in the information for applicants [Word 3.76MB]. Clearly, few targets will meet all the characteristics and it is not a prerequisite to do so. However, it is generally recognised that poor target validation is the biggest risk in drug discovery, therefore the target and disease mechanism under investigation must be considered against these characteristics to better appreciate the risk of a project.

Do applicants need a disease mechanism?
We appreciate that many drugs have been successfully approved without detailed knowledge of the mechanism of action, and we are therefore open-minded about considering SDD proposals that do not fit the modern paradigm of target-driven discovery. However, there needs to be convincing risk-reducing evidence for these types of phenotypic driven programmes, such as characterisation of selectivity, toxicity and in vivo side effects. SDD will not support studies to identify and characterise the mechanism of action.

Will cancer projects be considered?
Yes, we will consider proposals, both under the SDD and Translation Award scheme, that are directed at a healthcare benefit for cancer patients.

What is the application process?
The process is explained in the information for applicants [Word 3.76MB]. There are two occasions per year when funding decisions are made by the SDD Committee. This committee is a separate committee to both the Technology Transfer Strategy Panel and the Technology Transfer Challenge Committee.