Virginia Tech, Georgetown partner in new drug discovery and development program

Virginia Tech and Georgetown University Medical Center have formed a new, complementary partnership, to establish a joint program for drug discovery and development, bringing together experts from both universities in disciplines ranging from medicine to chemistry to technology.

”The partnership is timely because in the current environment, pharmaceutical companies are increasingly looking to universities for research and development,” said Jim Bohland, vice president and executive director, Virginia Tech, National Capital Region.

“Biomedical research relies on integrating biomedical science with basic science, computer science and engineering,” said Dr. Howard Federoff, executive vice president for health sciences and executive dean at Georgetown University Medical Center. “While Georgetown’s medical expertise is undisputed, effective solutions require the knowledge we can gain from Virginia Tech's widely recognized proficiency in technology,”

The first three drug discovery projects that Virginia Tech and Georgetown will undertake are:

• Examining the effectiveness of naturally occurring products—such as those derived from plants—against malaria;
• Investigating the use of fatty acids to fight various microorganisms that cause disease;
• Attempting to create drugs that inhibit production of an enzyme that is integral for the development of the plaques that form in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

"Working with other universities in the metropolitan area is an integral component in our goal to increase research in the National Capital Region," said Bohland, "We have successfully collaborated with Georgetown in the past, both in research projects and academic programs designed for graduate students from the FDA. We welcome this opportunity to continue and expand our partnership."

Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through our partnership with MedStar Health). Its mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The medical center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization.

Virginia Tech has fostered a growing partnership with the greater metropolitan Washington D.C. community since 1969. Today, the university's presence in the National Capital Region includes graduate programs and research centers. In addition to supporting the university's teaching and research mission, Virginia Tech's National Capital Region has established collaborations with local and federal agencies, businesses and other institutions of higher education.