AMRI Wins NIH Contract Renewal for Neurotherapeutics

AMRI announced on April 17, 2018 that it has won a renewal of a 10-year contract worth up to $39.5 million with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network (BPN). With the renewal, AMRI will continue to provide the BPN with medicinal chemistry and absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination (ADME) services with the aim of advancing drug discovery programs in neurotherapeutics. The company originally won the award in 2011.

BPN provides non-dilutive support for small-molecule drug discovery and development for companies looking to develop new medicines to treat nervous system disorders. Successful applicants gain access to NIH-funded contract research organizations (CROs) like AMRI for outsourced discovery solutions.

Services supported by this contract will include exploratory chemistry, hit-to-lead, and lead optimization efforts, including structure-activity-relationship (SAR) analysis and design, synthesis, in vitro absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) studies, and computer-aided drug discovery. Under the renewed award, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which manages BPN, now also has the opportunity to leverage AMRI’s additional capacity and medicinal chemistry capabilities at its Drug Discovery Center of Excellence in Buffalo, NY.

“The NINDS contract renewal is a testament to AMRI’s reputation as a trusted partner in drug discovery, its proven track record, commitment to excellence, and customer focus,” said Chris Conway, AMRI’s senior vice president and head of drug discovery, chemical development, and analytical services, in a company press release. “AMRI is excited to continue building upon our long-standing relationship with the NIH. We fully support the BPN’s mission of aiding scientists working in disease areas with unmet needs through the provision of experienced consultants and top-notch CRO support.”

“We look forward to continuing our successful BPN collaboration with AMRI and hope the services and support they provide to our scientists will help accelerate the development of novel therapies for a wide range of neurological disorders,” said Charles Cywin, PhD, program director at NINDS, in the press release.

In addition to the latest award, AMRI has three other prime contracts with the NIH and serves as a dedicated center for the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Chemical Biology Consortium (CBC). The company provides medicinal chemistry, compound profiling, in vitro ADMET, protein biochemistry, cancer cell biology, and preclinical development services, as needed. AMRI’s participation in the CBC is through a subcontract with Leidos Biomedical Research, the prime contractor for NCI’s Frederick National Lab for Cancer Research.