European Lead Factory

The database will be maintained by the European Bioinformatics Institute of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-EBI) and linked to other life science databases. By submitting a screening project proposal, to be reviewed by external advisors and selected on a competitive basis, the user must agree to publish all generated data in EU Openscreen s open access database, with an optional hold period of 18 months. The consortium will also offer follow-up chemistry activities to support the development of molecular probes for chemical biology and life science applications. 

The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is Europe s largest public-private initiative aiming to accelerate the development of better and safer medicines [27]. IMI supports collaborative research projects with the building of networks comprised of industrial and academic experts in order to boost European pharmaceutical innovation. It is a joint undertaking between the European Union and the European pharmaceutical industry association EFPIA [28]. 

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Mullard, A. (2013) European lead factory opens for business. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 12, 173-175. 

Nature serves as a wonderful inspiration for discovery chemists in all application areas. Folk medicine, such as European herbal remedies and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, has supplied many good leads for modern pharmaceutical agents. Similarly, the natural oils and resins used in traditional perfumery have been the source of inspiration for many modern perfumery ingredients. The basic approach used is to seek out a natural material with a traditional use, analyse it to identify the active chemicals which it contains and then reproduce them in the laboratory and eventually the factory. 

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