We've launched another blog we hope you'll find informative and insightful. "In the Pipeline" will have Derek Lowe, a medicinal chemist, delving deep into issues related to drug discovery, a field he knows intimately given he's worked for major pharmaceuticals since 1989.
Derek graduated from Hendrix College, got his doctorate at Duke and spent time in Germany on a Humboldt fellowship before working for employers past and present on potential treatments for schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, diabetes, osteoporosis and other diseases. Just as important, he can write and no stranger to blogging as he's been at it for more than a year on his own site.
If you know his writing expect no great change. For those that don't Derek's deep industry experience, command of the science and excellent coverage make accessible the fascinating and critical realm of drug discovery. Up for discussion: how biotechs and pharmaceutical companies conduct research, identify drug targets, turn ideas into practical therapeutics, navigate a tricky regulatory and legal landscape, make money and much more. Also likely to make an appearance, says Derek: occasional digressions into topics like which lab reagents smell the worst and how fun and rewarding research can be.
Recent topics covered include antisense technology, Cipro, chemical weapons, Geron's work on liver cells, SARS, the EU's Biotech Directive, the University of Rochester patent defeat, Schering-Plough forecast revisions and more.
In the Pipeline's a great read on its own but makes for a super complement to two other blogs we've launched recently: Living Code by Richard Gayle on the intersection of biology and information, and Brain Waves by Zack Lynch on the convergence of biotech, nanotech, infotech and the cognitive sciences. Please let friends and colleagues who'd be interested know about it.
In the Pipeline: drug discovery
