Otradi
Oregon Translational Research and Drug Development Institute (OTRADI)
OTRADI's university partners bring invaluable knowledge and skills to our collaboration. Scientists at Oregon's research universities contribute significantly to specific aspects of drug discovery and development by identifying new therapeutic targets, synthesizing novel chemical compounds, developing new screening assays, establishing preclinical models and trials, and conducting human clinical trails. Oregon university research programs produce the licensable technologies that form the foundation of therapeutic development (lead compounds, vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics).
Our university partners are Oregon Health & Science University's Office of Technology and Research Collaborations; Oregon State University's Office of Technology Transfer; Portland State University's Office of Technology Transfer; and the University of Oregon's Office of Technology Transfer.
OHSU's new Chemical Biology program brings together bioorganic chemists and biologists in cross-disciplinary collaborations. This includes a focus on newly emerging viruses (especially AIDS-related agents) in its Division of Pathobiology and Immunology.
OSU's strengths include biological, chemical, and pharmaceutical sciences and demonstrated success in areas of therapeutic discovery and development. OSU researchers are working to discover and develop anticancer agents and new therapeutics for treating neurological and degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Uof O's core competencies include research programs in protein crystallography, biochemistry, neuroscience, cell signaling and development, gene expression, nanoscience, and organic synthesis/medicinal chemistry.
PSU's scientists, renowned for their work with infectious diseases and applied organic chemistry, are experts in natural products chemistry, therapeutic delivery systems, the development of assays for screening lead compounds and investigating potential targets for new therapeutics.
"I strongly believe in what OTRADI was designed to do, and that is bring together four Oregon research institutions and capitalize on their complementary strengths. It's a way of facilitating collaboration and adds a significant capability we didn't have before, and that is a high-throughput screening facility that allows us to rapidly identify and evaluate potential new leads for drugs. It adds a truly competitive edge to research and development facilities in Oregon." - Kevin A. Reynolds, Ph.D., professor and chair of PSU's chemistry department
"We have had no way in Oregon, prior to OTRADI, to analyze and effectively screen for infectious diseases and look at the compounds we've developed to find out if they were worthwhile. I don't think any of us realized there would be such good results, so quickly. To be able to do that is a great boon for the research institutions of Oregon." — Michael M. Haley, UO chemistry professor