Meet… Medicines Discovery Catapult

About MDC: Medicines discovery is changing. It is becoming more precise in its targeting and accompanied by more complex data, advanced biomarkers and diagnostics. MDC is committed to working with innovative companies across the UK to accelerate this change; helping reshape drug discovery so that patients get the medicines they need faster. We do this by championing innovative technology and new approaches. We thrive on innovation.

MDC provides extensive expertise in industrial medicines discovery and informatics combined with access to innovative technologies, platforms, and outsourced, multiparty R&D. We can also help you access patient samples and valuable patient insights. We can get under the skin of your medicine discovery project, helping uncover the path to your success. Every new challenge brought to us is a chance to leverage our skills and capabilities, helping us to enhance the capabilities of our collaborators.

How we work: MDC works in collaboration with SMEs, academics and other partners to help advance their projects and technologies. We can operate in a number of models including fee-for-service, grant and other funding models.

Dr Martin Main: Martin worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 25 years, at Merck, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. Martin has extensive expertise in early-stage drug discovery, having previously led the Discovery Biology UK department at AstraZeneca which had the remit of reagent generation (purified proteins, cell models) and assay development (biochemical, cellular, high-content).

In his current role at MDC, Martin’s group is focused on the advancement and application of a range of drug discovery technology platforms, including mass-spectrometry and high-resolution microscopy, with a particular focus on pre-clinical cell models and cellular target engagement. An ion channel electrophysiologist by training, Martin holds a PhD in Cardiac Physiology from St George’s, University of London.