2020 Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards

46 GHP / 2020 Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards , Domainex Limited Drug Discovery CRO of the Year - Europe This year has been a tough one for everyone, including thoseworking in themedicines research field during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nevertheless, there are some companies that have managed to adapt in these adverse conditions. One example of that is this year’s Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Awards Drug Discovery CRO of the Year – Europe: Domainex. Domainex has seen revenue growth of over 30% and has employed 28 - and counting - new scientists to join their ranks in 2020. We discussed what Domainex does, how this year has affected them and what the future holds with Domainex’s CEO, TomMander. Domainex markets itself as a fully integrated drug discovery CRO based in the UK. They work with a multitude of companies within the medicines research field all over the world, including; biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical companies, patient foundations and academic institutes. There are three pillars to their services: Protein Sciences (protein production and structural biology), Assay Biology (biophysical, biochemical and cellular assays) and Chemistry (synthetic, medicinal, analytical and computational). Yet this does not seem enough to Domainex, they have gone as far as to establish a multitude of proprietary technology platforms that differentiate them from competitors, for example the use of their patented Combinational Domain Hunting (CDH) technology for producing many thousands of variations of target proteins to identify suitable novel constructs which can subsequently be used in assays or for structural biology. On top of CDH, Domainex has its own virtual screening platform, LeadBuilder . This is designed to identify hit compounds for their client’s drug discovery programmes in a rapid and cost-effective manner. As well as their FragmentBuilder platform – an integrated offering for performing fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) – the firm also has their proprietary technology platform, PoLiPa, which allows membrane proteins to be purified without the need for thermostabilizing mutations or detergents. We asked Tom how the pandemic has affected Domainex; “In response to COVID-19 we instigated a new working arrangement; we moved to 7-days/week operations for our laboratory scientists and a shift pattern of work across two teams. This has allowed us to maximise social distancing within our facility and to continue trading, whilst protecting the health and well- being of our staff. We have been extremely fortunate that, in spite of the pandemic, we have seen revenue growth of over 30% compared to last year”. Earlier this year, Domainex out licensed one of its drug discovery programs to Invivoscribe Inc. (San Diego). Invivoscribe will take this program into drug development with the intention of developing a therapy to treat patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Tom said “The fact that, Invivoscribe is taking a therapeutic program established at Domainex into development is strong validation of our expertise in drug discovery.” Domainex has always been at the forefront of this industry, from the outset they were implementing technologies and techniques before other companies in the industry. Domainex was one of the early adopters of NanoTemper’s biophysical instruments which utilize the techniques of MicroScale Thermophoresis (MST) and Temperature Related Intensity Change (TRIC). “We have invested in both the Dianthus NT.23PicoDuo and Monolith NT.Automated high- end instruments. The technology is already supporting our clients to identify compounds binding to their disease targets. In addition to this, we continue to monitor and review new technologies/ instrumentation and have plans for further investment.” A final example of why Domainex reigns supreme in this industry, comes from their determination to continue with their success and growth, Tom informs us that the future of Domainex is bright and Domainex has its sights set on developing the relationships they have with current clients as well as establishing new ones. Sep20068 “Testament to our ability to build long-standing relationships is the fact that we enjoy over a 70% renewal rate for follow-on studies with existing clients. We plan to continue to grow the business and have an ambitious revenue target set for the next few years. Linked to this we are expecting to continue to grow our headcount. As well as signing up new clients, we will look to forge new alliances with other life science organisations who have complimentary capabilities to Domainex as we seek to accelerate the discovery of new potential disease- modifying medicines.” It is clear why Domainex were the deserving winners of the title Drug Discovery CRO of the Year - Europe. Company: Domainex Limited Name: Tom Mander Website: www.domainex.co.uk

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