The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation Launches ADDF Access

Optimizing the Use of CROs to Accelerate Preclinical Drug Discovery

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) today launched the ADDF ACCESS program to give the academic and small biotechnology communities online access to a marketplace of contract research organizations (CROs) and the industry standard preclinical drug discovery and development services they provide. Additionally, ADDF ACCESS offers educational resources and a network of expert consultants and collaborators who focus on drug discovery for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) (www.alzdiscovery.org/access/).

A related editorial will be published today in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery (http://www.nature.com/nrd) providing recommendations to optimize the use of CROs by academia and small companies. The authors of this article were expert participants in a recent advisory panel convened by the ADDF to provide recommendations for identifying, contracting and managing partnerships with CROs.

“Improving the efficiency of this interaction will accelerate drug discovery programs, improve their quality and efficiency, increase the probability of success and add value to attract pharmaceutical partners and investors,” said Rachel Lane, PhD, Assistant Director, Scientific Affairs at the ADDF.

“ADDF ACCESS is a virtual networking program that effectively brings together academic and industry drug discovery scientists to create interdisciplinary teams that are essential for success in the development of new drugs,” said Howard Fillit, MD, Executive Director for the ADDF and Chief Science Officer. “As a foundation, ADDF is strategically positioned to facilitate these critical interactions through ADDF ACCESS.”