Center for Drug Discovery

The goal of the USC/MUSC collaborative Center for Drug Discovery is to lead the University's effort in drug development from the bench to the bedside. An endowed professorship will head that effort.

“The ‘bench to bedside’ concept means designing drugs, synthesizing the drugs, and doing preliminary studies in animal models to test for toxicity and efficacy,” said John Baynes, USC chemistry professor. “The ‘bedside’ component is to conduct clinical trials, and that will depend heavily on interacting with the School of Medicine.

“The center's chair will be in a central role, serving as a carrier of information from organic chemistry, through animal models, to applications of treatment to people,” he said. “We don't know yet what our concentration will be—diabetes and cardiovascular disease would be great areas because both are major diseases in this state; cancer and genetic diseases are major concerns across the nation. We'll move forward once the chair is in place.”