Another outcome of research at the Center will be the development of a platform for screening small molecular libraries against all proteases encoded by the genome. Indeed, earlier this spring, Dr. Smith published results in the journal Cancer Research from his first proteomics-based assay which yielded the surprising result that Orlistat, a drug approved by the FDA for treatment of obesity, inhibited prostate cancer.

The Center on Proteolytic Pathways is the newest plank in the Burnham Institute's Drug Discovery Initiative, the Institute's commitment to building up the intellectual and instrumental infrastructure needed to close the gap between discovery and application of new knowledge.

The Burnham's "Center on Proteolytic Pathways" is one of two new centers launching the "National Technology Centers Network and Pathways Directory" included in the "NIH Roadmap for Medical Research", implemented by NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni. Designated technology centers will be focused on a biological theme and aim to shorten the pathway from medical discovery and development of technology needed to develop applications for this new knowledge.

"These tools will give us a completely new way of looking at complex biological processes, allowing us to actually watch them in action," said NIH Director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. "As the centers refine the technologies, these valuable resources will be made available to hundreds of investigators across the country who are working in every disease area."

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Contact: Nancy Beddingfield
nbeddingfield@burnham.org
858-449-9940
Burnham Institute
30-Sep-2004