UC researchers significantly shorten drug development time
New method featured in news has potential to shorten discovery from months to hours
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital have developed a new approach, which combines advanced screening techniques with computational modeling, to significantly shorten the drug discovery process. It has the potential to transform the pharmaceutical industry.
The research, published recently in Science Advances, represents a significant leap forward in drug discovery efficiency. It was featured on LegalReader.com.
The research team was led by Alex Thorman, PhD, co-first author and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences in the College of Medicine. They utilized a dual-method approach to streamline the identification of promising drug candidates. The first method involved screening a large database of small molecules called the Library of Integrated Network-based Cellular Signatures (LINCS). This database allowed the researchers to evaluate tens of thousands of potential therapeutic compounds at once, identifying those with the most promising biological activity.
They then used targeted docking simulations, an advanced computational technique that models the interaction between small molecules and their specific protein targets. By combining these two approaches, the team was able to rapidly narrow down the list of potential drug candidates. They reduced the initial screening process to just a few hours.
The improved efficiency could be particularly beneficial in tackling diseases that currently have no cure, including various forms of cancer.
Thorman also said the ability to shorten discovery could be particularly critical to addressing public health crises, such as pandemics.
To read the original UC News report on the research, click here.
Featured image at top: Pills of different colors spilling out of bottle. Photo/Provided.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.