John S. Lazo Allegheny Foundation Professor Department of Pharmacology Director Drug Discovery Institute Director Fiske Drug Discovery Laboratory

Barry Gold Professor and Chair Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Codirector Drug Discovery Institute

Peter Wipf University Professor Department of Chemistry Codirector Drug Discovery Institute

The University of Pittsburgh Drug Discovery Institute (UPDDI) is committed to identifying small molecules that can be used as chemical probes for biological activities and as leads for new therapies for human diseases. The Institute’s focus is on orphan diseases, which are defined as diseases that typically affect less than 200,000 Americans. The UPDDI uses the latest advances in scientific understanding of cell signaling processes and disease states, laboratory automation and compound storage/retrieval, data management, combinatorial chemistry and diversity-oriented synthesis as a foundation for its drug discovery efforts. The Institute is a model of collaboration, comprising faculty members from three Schools at the University of Pittsburgh. It is in the unique position to balance academic research flexibility with industrial compound screening and development efficiency.