The ability of a drug molecule to reach the right protein in the correct intracellular compartment of the target cell type, in the desired tissue following a systemic dose, is governed by a complex network of active and passive transport processes. Furthermore, the same biological mechanisms that ensure on-target exposure are also responsible for the delivery of drug to off-target sites, potentially causing negative outcomes. Understanding the concentration of drug at target (D@T) is therefore one of the “3 pillars of successful drug discovery” [Morgan et al 2012].
The understanding of D@T can be further characterised by three components; the precise location (geography), the accurate concentration (Maths) and the chemical identity of the molecule (Chemistry) at scales ranging from whole body in the clinic to ex vivo tissue samples to single cells in culture. To that end GSK have harnessed a wide spectrum of analytical techniques utilising radioactive tracers, mass spectroscopy detection and optical methodologies, often in partnership with external academic and governmental collaborators..
This presentation will review the challenges of determining D@T in the diverse GSK portfolio and highlight the opportunities that Biophotonic methods, such as Raman and CARS, bring to our work. Finally we will review the key contribution of the external academic network to Bioimaging at GSK and share a few of our future challenges.
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