Extensive validation and exemplification studies are applied to potential drug discovery targets to identify promising candidates. Target validation studies utilise CRT's comprehensive normal and tumour collections of human cDNA and established experience in RNA interference technology.

Development of robust, industrially-applicable, automated biochemical and cellular drug discovery assays is allied with large scale protein expression and purification to perform high-throughput screening. Hits are generated from CRT's library of more than 80,000 drug-like compounds, including 10,000 kinase-directed compounds.

Lead series are developed from initial hits by CRT's industrially trained team of medicinal chemists and pharmacologists. Primary screens for efficacy are performed alongside in-house pharmacokinetic and ADMET analysis.

Lead candidates are optimised for potency and drug-like characteristics. If a development partner has not been identified at an earlier development stage, CRT will look to out-licence intellectual property and reagents following completion of initial proof of efficacy studies on lead series.