Henkel and 4SC Discovery Start Research Collaboration in Compound Screening
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4SC AG has announced that its subsidiary 4SC Discovery GmbH, which specializes in the research and discovery of novel compounds, has entered into a research collaboration with Henkel KGaA, Düsseldorf, in the area of compound screening.
The aim of the joint research project is to identify new and more effective laundry detergent ingredients.
For its part, 4SC Discovery will perform property calculations on several million substances. Henkel will then use application testing to determine the substances most suitable for new detergent formulations.
Within the partnership, 4SC Discovery will utilize the high-performance computerized screening method that it has successfully deployed for several years to identify potent new therapeutic compounds for the pharmaceuticals sector.
The bundling of Henkel's expertise in formulating sustainable laundry detergents and cleaning agents with 4SC's skills in researching and optimizing new compounds is intended to make solutions available that would remain inaccessible to simple, experience-based development strategies.
In addition, the partnership should accelerate the process for early-stage compound discovery and optimization and achieve greater cost efficiency than conventional approaches.
Dr Daniel Vitt, Managing Director of 4SC Discovery GmbH and Chief Scientific Officer at 4SC AG, comments: “We have successfully deployed our computerized screening process for drug discovery and compound research optimization in the pharmaceutical area for many years. Now this partnership with Henkel demonstrates large new opportunities, as it is the first time our procedure will be used to drive the rapid and efficient development of new detergent compounds. We intend to use the income generated from this and future similar research collaborations with pharmaceutical, biotech and chemical partners to further strengthen the business of both 4SC Discovery and the 4SC Group as a whole."
Dr. Ulrich Dauer, Chief Executive Officer of 4SC AG, adds: “We are proud that, only three months after launching its operations, our research subsidiary 4SC Discovery has entered into a research collaboration with such a renowned partner. The main focus of 4SC AG - the Group parent company - continues to be the clinical development of its drug candidates, however the initial success of 4SC Discovery is exciting for the whole organization.”
“Accelerating the development of sustainable innovations that appeal to consumers and ensuring superior quality for our products throughout the world are key factors for Henkel's success," comments Professor Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum, Head of Global Research and Development in Henkel's Laundry and Home Care business sector.
Professor Müller-Kirschbaum continued, "Compound screening with our partner 4SC Discovery also lets us subject a much higher volume of substances to testing during the early stages of product development than has previously been possible.”
