Quick look at Drug discovery opinion (DDO)

This post includes candid talk with Mr. Bill Harris, founder of Drug discovery opinion (DDO). Last month, medchemblog conducted polling for favorite blog. Drug discovery opinion (DDO) got the highest vote (42%). Let me introduce the blog. It’s a nice blog with recent updates on drug discovery and development. It was established in 2008 by medicinal chemists, Mr. Bill Harris and Ms. Sally Redshaw to provide consultancy services to Pharma and Biotech companies. They have many years experience in drug discovery and development working with companies like Roche, GSK and De Novo pharmaceuticals. Authors have clear and concise way of presenting the subject matter. Click on the banner to visit their page.

It’s a great pleasure to present views/opinion from one of the founder of DDO, Mr. Bill Harris. Medchemblog is thankful for his wonderful support and valuable time. Ok, let’s take a look at what he says;

Medchemblog: Welcome sir, would you please introduce your blog (DDO) in your way?
DDO: Sally Redshaw, another medicinal chemist, and I decided to form a consultancy business. We aimed to exploit our long careers in Pharma and biotech companies to provide support in med chem and drug discovery, particularly to biotech companies.  When setting up a website to inform about our business activities, we wanted something that was a little more interesting than a static ‘corporate’ site.  Since we were already reading broadly in the primary literature, to keep up with developments in med chem and drug discovery, it seemed a small step to share some of the more interesting scientific developments in a concise form. Although many institutions provide press releases, we found these a little simplistic (and sometimes inaccurate) for a medicinal chemist readership, so thought we could provide something more informative in bite-size pieces.

Medchemblog: What is the main goal of DDO?

DDO: Of course a main goal for DDO is to establish business relationships with clients.  The blog aspect of the site, we hope, provides a route for us to engage with fellow scientists in the drug discovery and development arena – maybe at some point in the future that will turn into a professional relationship.

Medchemblog: How much contribution do you think DDO has in the field of drug discovery and development (on the basis of your viewers feedback)

DDO:  We have had very kind feedback from readers of the blog, who seem to like the concise nature of the articles – enough information in easy to digest form with the ability to follow up in more depth if it is an area of interest to them.  If it helps people keep up with the huge information flow, that would be great. 

Medchemblog: Beside DDO, which is your favorite blog/site in the field of drug discovery and development?

DDO: Probably has to be In the Pipeline.  Derek Lowe’s take on our industry is always an enjoyable read.

Medchemblog: Blogs/ site you follow and read regularly?

DDO: The news sites, like Science Daily and Eureka, we try to keep up with.  When we get time, we do like to read a variety of chemistry/medicinal chemistry sites (including medchemblog!)

Medchemblog: Suggestions for the beginners, who want to pursue their career in the field of drug discovery and development?

DDO: This has to be the toughest question!  It is really difficult to offer good advice when our industry is going through so much change.  I suppose that the response to such change has to be flexibility and mobility, both of which are easier said than done.  One thing is certain – society’s need for medicines is not going to diminish, and we are far from having solved many of the pressing health problems.

Medchemblog: Few words or suggestions for medchemblog.

DDO: You will not go far wrong if you continue to write about those things that interest you – your enthusiasm will be recognised and appreciated by your readers.

Medchemblog: Thank you sir.

I hope you enjoyed the discussion. As most of the medchemblog viewers like DDO, I think it’s a proper way of introducing DDO and its founder through this post.

Please feel free to share your views!