Astex

Astex Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of drugs in oncology and other areas. Astex was founded in 1999 by Sir Tom Blundell, Chris Abell & Harren Jhoti, and is located in Cambridge, UK.

Additional recommended knowledge

How to quickly check pipettes?

Better weighing performance in 6 easy steps

Weighing the right way

The company's research efforts focus on utilization of a proprietary "drug discovery engine" dubbed Pyramid^TM. Astex has also solved the structure of two key cytochrome P450 isoenzymes involved in drug metabolism, 2C9 & 3A4, which the company hopes will help in optimizing the pharmacokinetic properties and safety of their lead compounds.

Astex's first drug candidate, a cell cycle inhibitor, entered Phase I clinical trials in 2005, and two other candidates are in pre-clinical development.

Further reading

Carr RA, Congreve M, Murray CW, Rees DC (2005) Fragment-based lead discovery: leads by design. Drug Discov Today 10: 987-92.

Congreve M, Murray CW, Blundell TL (2005) Structural biology and drug discovery. Drug Discov Today 10: 895-907.

Williams PA, Cosme J, Vinkovic DM, et al. (2004) Crystal structures of human cytochrome P450 3A4 bound to metyrapone and progesterone Science 305: 683-86 (available online by registration at Science website)

Astex Technology: Pioneering Fragment-based Lead Discovery