History and Prospects of Drug Discovery and Development Collaboration between Industry and Academia.

Research collaborations and licensing deals are critical for the discovery and development of life-saving drugs. This practice has been ongoing since the inception of the pharmaceutical industry. The current process of drug discovery and development is complex, regulated, and highly regimented, having evolved over time. Academia excels in the discovery of fundamental scientific concepts and biological processes, while industry excels in translational science and product development. Potential for collaboration exists at every step of the drug discovery and development continuum. This perspective walks through such collaborative activities, provides examples, and offers tips for potential collaborations.

Antibacterial and mechanism of action studies of boxazomycin A.

Boxazomycins A-C are potent broad-spectrum antibiotics isolated from Actinomycetes strain G495-1 in 1987. We now report that boxazomycin A inhibits bacterial growth by selectively inhibiting protein synthesis, its effect is bacteriostatic, and it is equally active against drug resistant bacterial strains. No cross-resistance to protein synthesis inhibitors was observed suggesting that its inhibition is distinct from clinical protein synthesis inhibitors. We also report in vivo efficacy in a Staphylococcus aureus murine infection model supported by corresponding pharmacokinetic studies.