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Mission Statement
The Center for Drug Discovery (CDD) at Northeastern University is dedicated to the discovery of novel medications and to the development of approaches and technologies aimed at improving the discovery of new therapeutic drugs. The CDD also incorporates a unique educational component that will train new scientists in the multidisciplinary field of drug discovery.

The CDD's first mission is to vigorously engage in research aimed at the discovery of therapeutic agents.

The second mission will be to develop research and educational interactions with the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries within Massachusetts, and also serve as a resource for novel start-up biopharmaceutical industries.

The CDD's third mission encompasses a unique educational component centered around "Drug Discovery" as an area of concentration that will educate new scientists in this multidisciplinary field. In support of our mission, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded a five year, multimillion dollar grant to Dr. Makriyannis as Principal Investigator for the training (predoctoral and postdoctoral levels) of future scientists in the field of Medications Development for Drugs of Abuse. The Center will coordinate educational activities for both students and the general public in special areas of disease and therapeutics.

Core Facility and Development of Interactions with Pharmaceutical Companies
In addition to establishing new projects and enhancing ongoing collaborations, the Center for Drug Discovery will focus on two additional activities:

A) Establish a core of high throughput technologies which include:
1) Biochemical technologies
a) High throughput screening
b) Receptor binding assays
c) Receptor functional assays
d) Enzyme and transporter assays
e) Bioavailability assays
f) Use of animal models (This approach will be limited and directed to
specific needs.)
2) Chemical technologies
a) Development of parellel synthesis in solution
b) Combinatorial chemistry in solution
c) Future directions will involve the use of solid phase methods.

The above core facility will be maintained under the auspices of the CDD and will serve to a) establish new interactions with other laboratories as well as with pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies and b) as a required infrastructure for the education and training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This will open opportunities for their employment in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries.

B) Development of interactions with small, mid, and large sized pharmaceutical
companies. The interactions will include:
1) Educational activities (enlisting the assistance of industrial personnel for
the education of our students; training students in preparation for
employment with the above companies)
2) Developing research projects with industrial establishments.
3) Developing an Associate's Program within the
pharmaceutical/biotechnological industry.