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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Albany Molecular Research Opens Drug Discovery Center In Buffalo, New York

12/07/2015
Albany Molecular Research Inc., a global contract research and manufacturing organization working with the life sciences industry to improve patient outcomes, introduced its new U.S. based integrated drug discovery center located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campu in Buffalo, New York.

According to the firm, as part of a commitment by the State of New York with SUNY Polytechnic Institute, this drug discovery center offers customers leading-edge platforms and capabilities for developing new approaches to discover life-saving therapies. The center will increase translation to the clinic by leveraging expertise in biology, high-throughput screening (HTS), medicinal chemistry and pharmacology integrated within a single site in the United States.

"We are excited to launch a realigned and upgraded discovery service offering for our customers through our new center for global drug discovery in Buffalo," said Christopher Conway, Senior Vice President, Discovery and Development, AMRI. "AMRI is the only North American based Discovery CRO with biology, pharmacology, HTS and chemistry located in one building, in the center of a hub of complimentary biotech, major medical and academic centers. This hub for drug discovery provides our customers and partners with the speed in decision-making and depth of collaboration needed to accelerate speed of data and maximize results."

AMRI's world-class HTS capabilities include compound and sample management, conventional and next-generation HTS and access to state-of-the-art equipment and readout instruments. Instrumentation – such as PerkinElmer, Inc.'s cell::explorer™ high content screening platform and Opera Phenix™ high content screening system – provides an ideal combination of biologically relevant readouts and throughput; this technology is differentiating how phenotypic screening is being conducted in drug discovery today.

"The ultimate aim of this site is to provide a suite of discovery services, from assay development and HTS to medicinal chemistry and in vitro pharmacology, that will reduce data cycle times in order to improve the value of our customers' discovery programs, as well as offer ease-of-communication with project teams and functional groups," said Rory Curtis, Vice President, Discovery Biology and Pharmacology, and Site Head of AMRI Buffalo. "AMRI is coupling its broad target-class coverage with state-of-the-art equipment to fulfill unmet needs for our customers when it comes to the expertise and experience they should be receiving from their drug discovery CRO partners."

AMRI has partnered with New York State as a founding member of the Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub. This hub efficiently combines the expertise of academic and industrial partners, creating opportunities for new collaborations to develop new approaches. AMRI's core competencies include reagent generation; assay development; hit-finding HTS; fast-track, hit-to-lead and lead optimization medicinal chemistry; in vitro pharmacology; in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, toxicity (ADMET); and antibody drug conjugate optimization.

"The aim of the hub is to create a translational science center that will leverage the infrastructure of partner institutions, including SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the University at Buffalo School of Medicine, University at Buffalo Clinical and Translational Research Center, Buffalo General Hospital, Jacobs Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and the Hauptman Woodward Institute," Mr. Conway said.

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