Catalyst 2020-2021 | UTSA
Good to Know Center for Innovative Drug Discovery
Dr. Stanton McHardy (center) and members of the Center for Innovative Drug Discovery
UTSA’s Center for Innovative Drug Discovery (CIDD) is a joint venture
and contract research funding, with over $6 million coming directly
between UTSA and UT Health San Antonio. The center is composed of
to the CIDD. The CIDD is also actively engaged with the San Antonio
two facilities: a High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Facility located at
Partnership for Precision Therapeutics, supporting collaborations
UT Health San Antonio and a Medicinal Chemistry and Synthesis Core
between UTSA, UT Health San Antonio, Southwest Research Institute
Facility at UTSA.
(SwRI) and Texas BioMed.
Led by director and co-founder Dr. Stanton McHardy, the CIDD provides
“The CIDD not only collaborates with other institutions but also does
diverse core facilities and expertise with the goal of facilitating the
contract work with companies and private clients in the USA,” said
translation of basic scientific discoveries into tangible preclinical
Dr. Karinel Nieves-Merced, a researcher with the CIDD. “Our chemical
candidate drugs that can be further developed into clinical therapies
portfolio includes the design and synthesis of complex natural
for human disease.
products, sugars, steroids, amino acids, and PROTACs, Proteolysis
Researchers in the CIDD work collaboratively with investigators from
Targeting Chimera.”
around Texas and the nation to develop small-molecule therapies for
The CIDD’s long-term strategic growth plan includes developing new
disease areas such as cancer, non-opioid pain management, diabetes
areas of drug discovery research and providing additional training
and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. In the CIDD’s medicinal
and education opportunities for UTSA students. Recently, the trustees
chemistry lab, researchers design small molecules to optimize
of the Max and Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund awarded the College
biological activity and develop efficient synthesis routes to prepare
of Sciences and Frantz $883,000 to establish the Max and Minnie
the molecules to support structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies.
Tomerlin Voelcker CIDD Preclinical Pharmacology Core for Accelerated
The multidisciplinary programs the CIDD is involved with provide CIDD
Drug Discovery. Housed within the CIDD, the core’s cutting-edge, late-
staff and UTSA chemistry students the opportunity to interact with
stage preclinical pharmacology and translational drug development
collaborators from areas such as molecular biology, pharmacology,
capabilities will synergize with existing CIDD capabilities and help
structural biology and biochemistry.
researchers launch new therapies for cancer, cardiovascular disease,
The CIDD was established with generous support from the Max and
infectious diseases and other conditions.
Minnie Tomerlin Voelcker Fund, including endowments for CIDD co-
UTSA students in the CIDD and McHardy labs have a unique opportunity
founders Dr. Doug Frantz and McHardy, as well as startup support from
to engage in collaborative research in an industrial-type setting, along
the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute and a UT Library, Equipment,
with state-of-the-art instrumentation and technologies, which provides
Repair and Rehabilitation (LERR) grant. The CIDD is now supported by
an incredible training platform for the next generation of drug discovery
multiple state and federal extramural funding agencies such as the
scientists.
National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
“The research setting in the CIDD and associated technologies, training and resources are unmatched in Texas,” McHardy said. “UTSA students
In addition to its academic partners, the CIDD collaborates with
are uniquely positioned to learn industry-level medicinal chemistry
multiple pharmaceutical industry partners providing contractual
concepts. The momentum and excitement in this area at both UTSA and
research support for drug discovery programs. Since 2012, the CIDD
UT Health San Antonio is now fueling the development of a new cross-
and McHardy have secured over $15 million in extramural funding
disciplinary graduate-level degree program in drug discovery.” 3
