ETH developing new method to support drug discovery processes

Researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) have further developed a process with the aim of supporting the discovery of pharmaceutically active substances in the future. According to a press release, when it comes to searching for such active ingredients, a large number of chemical compounds are collected and tested in what are known as DNA-encoded libraries (DEL). A piece of DNA is attached to each molecule, which creates a unique DNA sequence for each molecule examined. In turn, this can be read as a barcode. The researchers have now made significant progress in their efforts to improve this process.

Up to this point, the principle developed at Harvard and ETH only worked for relatively small molecules. However, the newly developed method of self-purifying DEL technology allows larger molecules such as cyclic peptides to be produced and tested in terms of their efficacy for the first time. This molecular expansion means that billions of different substances can be produced and tested automatically within a few weeks, as the press release explains. The study has been published in the journal “Science”.

“Before, we could search for small active substances that fit like a key into the lock of the active site of therapeutically relevant proteins, but now we can search for larger ones as well”, as Jörg Scheuermann from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at ETH explains in the press release. “We’re seeing immense interest from industry and research, especially in cyclic molecules, which to date haven’t been accessible in large numbers”, he adds. Scheuermann intends to establish a spin-off company with the aim of offering the whole process from the development of DEL collections and automated synthesis to automated efficacy testing and DNA-based identification of the molecules. ce/eb