Medicinal Chemistry

Academic collaborations keep the Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research at the cutting edge of science. Several staff hold academic appointments at major universities in Canada and our scientists have collaborated with, among others, the University of Toronto and the National Institutes of Health in the U.S.

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The Centre's scientists are currently working with the University of Western Ontario to adapt NMR technology for brain imaging. A collaborative effort with McGill University led to the development of a mouse model missing the PTB-1B enzyme, which is now used by the scientific community involved in diabetes research.

Our post-doctoral program is very active and several past participants have chosen to remain at the Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research. The caspase enzyme, now the basis of an exciting new program, was first discovered by one of our scientists who originally joined the company as a post-doctoral fellow.

Merck Frosst Canada offers an extensive co-op student placement program that provides excellent opportunities for undergraduates to participate in innovative research. The four to eight month work terms often yield publications in leading academic journals.

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We also have several agreements with private innovators. A collaboration with California-based Axys Pharmaceuticals Inc. was established five years ago to work on the cathepsin K enzyme. Another joint project, with a company based in the UK, recently produced a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor now in development for treatment of asthma.