We had an exciting two days exhibiting at the European Laboratory Research & Innovation Group (ELRIG) Drug Discovery conference 2016 in Liverpool. Many new and old colleagues were interested to hear what services ApconiX offer and the successes we have had over the past year. It was a great team success creating the stall and literature which had a lot of interest in the innovation zone of ELRIG.

 

Besides the company stand we had fun attending workshops and talks such as, drug safety in drug development, safety/toxicology models and immuno-oncology. In particular, Chas Bountra’s talk on the integration of academia, biotech and pharma named: “How can we build a new drug discovery ecosystem, which will complement Boston?” was very insightful in highlighting the crucial aspect of pooling resources in order for more efficient future drug discovery. Throughout the talk it was evident how academia and the pharmaceutical industry differ. Academia is based on the specialisation of research for many years which is complemented by easy access to public databases. Whereas in the pharmaceutical industry quick turn over is required meaning that research projects last only 6 months with a much restricted public data access. This plenary keynote was of particular interest to us as at ApconiX as we take pride in our ability to help innovative biotech companies and universities realize their ambitions in drug discovery and development. Therefore, it is reassuring for us to know that we are creating a symbiotic relationship with academia and biotech companies in order to build a successful drug discovery ecosystem.