Industrial Collaboration
CDR is developing collaborative projects with different biotech and pharmaceutical companies as well as SMEs. Projects can be based on competitive proposals or on investigator-initiated non-competitive research. As a continuing part of our commitment to fostering collaborative non-competitive research the CDR employs a Ph.D.-level Research Manager, Dr. Paul Bromann, to promote and coordinate collaboration with domestic and international industry. Dr. Bromann seeks to identify areas in which CDR can assist industrial partners in preclinical drug discovery and development. For inquiries regarding industrial collaboration or partnership, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Examples of projects we are pursuing include:
Ophthalmic drug discovery and ocular drug ADME
- Blood-retinal barrier models, corneal, and RPE cell models
- Ophthalmic drug discovery and drug formulation research
- New methods to test bioequivalence of ophthalmic drug formulations
- Computational modeling of the tissues, membranes, and fluid flows in the eye to quantitatively estimate their effects on drug delivery/ADME
Pharmaceutical nanotechnology and drug delivery
- Novel biomaterials enabling continuous protein delivery from microencapsulated cells
- Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery
- Differentiation of human stem/iPS cells into hepatic and retinal pigment epithelial cells for regenerative medicine and for cell-based pharmaceutical tools
- Combinatorial approaches for developing novel nanoparticles for drug delivery
- Computational modeling of drug delivery liposomes in the human bloodstream using molecular dynamics simulation
- Novel human epidermis organotypic cell culture model for analysis of transdermal drug delivery, high-throughput screening of chemical libraries, and development and testing of novel transdermal drug formulations
Drug discovery and drug ADME
- Developing novel bioassays, computational drug design and screening, and antimicrobial screening programs using compounds developed from combinatorial and solid-phase synthesis, from our unique natural product library, or from commercial sources
- Molecular modeling of protein structure and receptor-ligand complexes, QSAR/QSPR modeling, with particular expertise in G protein-coupled receptors and monoamine transporters
- Drug permeability and transporter interaction studies using Sf9 and MDCK cells stably expressing human ABS efflux transporter genes
- Structure-based and pharmacokinetic computational modeling for oral drug absorption and for efflux transport and volume of drug distribution
- Studies of phase II drug metabolism by developing screening assays to probe the interactions of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases with chemical libraries
- Fast and sensitive methods for the analysis of drugs, endogenous compounds, and metabolites from a variety of biological matrices
- Developing novel methods and probes for real-time 3D morphological imaging and tracking of radiolabeled substances in rodents at ultra-high resolution using nanoSPECT/CT
Paul Bromann, Ph.D., Research Manager
Dr. Bromann serves as Research Manager for the CDR. He provides support to the Director in the development and management activities of the CDR including: promoting and coordinating collaboration with domestic and international industry, academia, and government agencies; and, the facilitation of patenting and technology transfer of CDR innovations.
