MUSC Drug Discovery Core (DDC)

The MUSC Drug Discovery Core (MUSC DDC) is a specialized resource providing tools, facilities, and expertise for early drug discovery and chemical biology. We employ virtual and physical screening, medicinal chemistry, chemical synthesis and chemoinformatics to study of the effects and properties of small molecules and proteins. As such, we are the only drug discovery resource in South Carolina with the ability to identify high-affinity ligands for a variety of biological targets.

 

Primary Goals of the MUSC DDC:

- to facilitate the discovery of new therapeutic agents and chemical probes with the focused vision of creating new chemical entities and optimizing their structures.

- to provide chemical and medicinal chemistry support to synthesize hits identified by physical or virtual screening, and to optimize these hits through structure-based generation of analogues.

- to assist investigators with the creation of new intellectual property, and to collaborate with the MUSC Foundation for Research and Development (FRD) to commercialize potential therapeutics.

- to keep MUSC abreast of and competitive in the areas of academic drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, target engagement, and cheminformatics.