The Gilson Center for Integrated Discovery Technology

W. Raymond West and Jeffrey P. Kiplinger

Contents
Introduction
A New Gilson Initiative
A Project-Based Model
Partnerships Are Key
The Scientific Advisory Board
Solutions at Work

Introduction (Back to Top)
Partnering between laboratory instrumentation and pharmaceutical companies is an important new trend in the discovery and development of new medicines. Each step in the drug discovery process—design, synthesis, purification and characterization; formatting and registration; screening—depends on reliable, automated instruments. Late discovery phase work demands rugged, high-throughput assays measuring adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) and pharmacokinetic behavior, as well as compound physical properties.

Laboratory instrumentation and pharmaceutical firms recognize the need to integrate instrumentation to create solutions for specific applications. Consequently, instrument companies have combined efforts to support product integration, or pharmaceutical companies have acquired the technology and done the integration themselves. Most often, the goal is to link one product with another, a product-based task involving coordinated efforts of manufacturers. Despite occasional difficulties, integrating technology for pharmaceutical applications happens because the need for such integration is so striking.

A New Gilson Initiative (Back to Top)
Gilson, a leading supplier of precision liquid handling technology and chromatographic systems, has a successful record of non-exclusive partnering with suppliers of complementary technology in the drug discovery and development segments of the high-throughput pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Building upon this strength, Gilson has created the Center for Integrated Discovery Technology (CIDT). The Gilson CIDT, located in Lincoln, RI, was announced at the 1999 Pittsburgh Conference in Orlando, FL. After extensive renovations, the 6,000-square-foot facility began operations in July, 1999.

CIDT is the first dedicated facility where technology vendors can join forces to integrate existing technology and explore new possibilities for laboratory solutions. The center's mission is to contribute to the discovery of new medicines by integrating laboratory instruments, and achieving this through pharmaceutical and laboratory instrument partnerships.

A Project-Based Model (Back to Top)
CIDT operates on a project-based model, in which applications or needs define the integration. CIDT seeks to understand the pharmaceutical partner's application and then bring together the products and services (instrumentation partners) to solve the problem.

Once a project is defined, the CIDT organizes the resources necessary to accomplish the project's objectives. Gilson and its instrumentation partners provide the appropriate products, services, and staff. The integrated instrumentation is then created and applied at the Gilson CIDT. Pharmaceutical partners are also invited to work at the Gilson Center in all stages of the project to insure that the project is on target throughout its duration.

Partnerships Are Key (Back to Top)
The success of the project-based concept depends on the effective working relationships between Gilson and its pharmaceutical and instrumentation partners. Gilson does not contract out the integration services of the center. Partnership in a project is based upon a partner's commitment to aggressively tackle a problem and contribute resources towards accomplishing project objectives. Partnership performance agreements and project management play an important role in keeping projects on track. A partnership performance agreement with the instrumentation partners specifies the desired results, guidelines, resources, accountability and consequences of the partnership. Project management tools help to maintain the focus of the pharmaceutical and instrumentation partners and define the beginning and end of projects. Approximately 20 instrumentation companies have agreed in principle to work with Gilson at the CIDT.

Gilson has set up the CIDT to integrate commercially available technology—not for developing proprietary technology. Gilson always seeks to represent its partners in the best possible light and will not become involved in judging the merits of competing products. It is expected that projects at the CIDT will lead to new product ideas for the respective partners to develop internally.

There are several benefits for partnering with Gilson at the center. Pharmaceutical companies do not want to be instrument companies. They want the tools to excel at drug discovery. Since instrumentation companies need to partner on integration projects, participation in the center offers them the opportunity showcase integrated instrumentation to a broad range of pharmaceutical customers. When laboratory instrument companies work together their technologies become more relevant and useful to the entire pharmaceutical industry, increasing the overall market opportunity for all those involved.

The Scientific Advisory Board (Back to Top)
In order to obtain consistent, relevant input from the pharmaceutical industry, Gilson has organized a scientific advisory board, chaired by Roderic O. Cole of Pfizer. The board consists of 12 members who are technical experts in various drug discovery fields, representing primarily larger pharmaceutical companies and academia. Membership on the board will rotate on a biannual basis in order to have broad-based participation across the entire pharmaceutical industry. The board is key to validating the activities of Gilson and its partners at the center and in providing direction and definition regarding the instrumental issues affecting drug discovery.

The board held its first meeting in July 1999. During the meeting several topics were discussed: opportunities for development in synthesis and automation, analysis and purification, and secondary assays and bioanalysis. The group also began a process to define the issues and objectives for open access technologies and informatics. The next meeting is scheduled for January 2000. It is important to note that a pharmaceutical company does not have to be represented on the Scientific Advisory Board to discuss or propose potential projects for the Gilson CIDT.

Solutions at Work (Back to Top)
Gilson believes that the open atmosphere and neutral ground upon which the center is based will enable CIDT partners to address many of the current application needs of the pharmaceutical industry for integrated laboratory instrument solutions. All partners, pharmaceutical and instrument companies, hope to enhance the role of the instrumentation industry as a key partner in drug discovery and development. The Gilson CIDT welcomes comment and inquiries regarding projects and partnerships.

For more information: Jeffrey P. Kiplinger, Scientific Director and Head of the CIDT, or W. Raymond West, Technology Director, The Gilson Center for Integrated Discovery Technology, 701 George Washington Highway, Lincoln, RI 02865. Tel: 401-288-1101. Fax: 401-288-1119.