Center for Drug Discovery

What Center for Drug Discovery does

The Center for Drug Discovery (CDD), also known as CDD, is a multidisciplinary academic research center founded in 2003 within Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, and directed by Professor Alexandros Makriyannis. The center conducts translational biomedicine aimed at discovering new therapeutic medications, with a concentration in medicinal chemistry, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), enzyme drug targets, and the endocannabinoid system. It serves the biomedical research and drug development ecosystem across therapeutic areas including pain and inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, drug abuse and addiction, metabolic disorders, and cancer.

Operationally, CDD is organized around five interconnected research laboratories: Medicinal Chemistry (target-based drug design, molecular modeling, lead optimization, and synthetic scale-up), Biochemistry (in vitro/in vivo assay design using mass spectroscopy, radiometrics, fluorometrics, UV and HPLC), Biophysics (solution and solid-state NMR-based protein structure and drug-membrane interaction analysis), Behavioral Pharmacology (in-vivo rodent models for drug discrimination, locomotor activity, and analgesia), and Molecular Pharmacology (GPCR structure-based drug design and characterization). Notable technical outputs include the 2.8 Å crystal structure of the human CB1 receptor bound to the antagonist AM6538 (published in Cell, 2016) and agonist-bound CB1 structures with AM11542 and AM841 (published in Nature, 2017), alongside proprietary compounds and a Ligand Assisted Protein Structure (LAPS) analysis methodology.

The center is not a commercial enterprise and has no disclosed pricing structure; it is funded through research grants, industry collaborations, and institutional support. Its primary revenue mechanics are NIH research grants (nearly $60 million in established grants since founding), a multimillion-dollar NIH training grant for predoctoral and postdoctoral training in Medications Development, and collaborative research agreements with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for target identification, assay development, and biomarker characterization. It employs over 60 active student, predoctoral, postdoctoral, and faculty researchers and reports 247 published papers, 146 grants and awards, and 43 industry collaborations.

Name

Center for Drug Discovery

Legal name

Center for Drug Discovery

Website

https://cdd.neu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Center for Drug Discovery is a multidisciplinary academic research center at Northeastern University, founded 2003, focused on medicinal chemistry, GPCRs, and the endocannabinoid system to discover new therapeutic medications, serving biotech and pharmaceutical drug-development partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drug Discovery Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Small-Molecule Drug Product (Solid/Oral/Parenteral) CDMO (HLAGABAB)

Keywords

• Medicinal chemistry research
• Drug discovery services
• GPCR receptor studies
• Cannabinoid research
• Structural biology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Grants: Primary funding from National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants supporting drug discovery research activities. The center has received nearly $60 million in established grants since founding.
2. Industry Collaborations: Collaborative research agreements with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for target identification, assay development, and biomarker characterization.
3. NIH Training Grant: Multimillion-dollar NIH training grant funding for predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs in Medications Development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Center for Drug Discovery (CDD) is an academic research organization at Northeastern University that conducts multidisciplinary research aimed at discovering new therapeutic medications. It operates five interconnected laboratories (Medicinal Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biophysics, Behavioral Pharmacology, and Molecular Pharmacology) focused on G protein-coupled receptors, particularly cannabinoid CB1/CB2 receptors, and provides collaborative research services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

Product overview

The Center for Drug Discovery (CDD) at Northeastern University is a research center founded in 2003 that conducts multidisciplinary research aimed at discovering new therapeutic medications. CDD operates as a platform for translational biomedicine, comprising five interconnected research laboratories: Medicinal Chemistry (synthesizes novel compounds and performs target-based drug design), Biochemistry (in vitro/in vivo compound profiling and assay development), Biophysics (protein structure analysis using NMR and crystallography), Behavioral Pharmacology (in-vivo rodent studies), and Molecular Pharmacology (GPCR structure-based drug design). The center focuses on therapeutic areas including pain/inflammation, neurodegenerative diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, drug abuse/addiction, metabolic disorders, and cancer. CDD collaborates with biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries and incorporates educational components for training new scientists in drug discovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory Specializes in target-based drug design integrated with molecular modeling, lead optimization, and development of robust synthetic procedures for scale-up, supporting drug discovery for biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry collaborators.
• Biochemistry Laboratory Designs and implements biochemical assays to test novel compounds in vitro and in vivo, employing mass spectroscopy, radiometrics, fluorometrics, UV and HPLC analytical methods for compound characterization and assay development.
• Biophysics Laboratory Focuses on understanding molecular details of ligand-receptor interactions through solution and solid-state NMR-based protein structure, computational models for ligand design, and analysis of drug-membrane interactions.
• Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory Studies complex in-vivo effects of novel cannabinoid ligands using rodent models, including drug discrimination, locomotor activity, and analgesia studies for substance addiction research.
• Molecular Pharmacology Laboratory Conducts target structure-based drug synthesis and characterization of drug affinity and function at G protein-coupled receptors including cannabinoid, serotonin, muscarinic, and histamine receptors.

Quantifiable outcome

• CB1 crystal structure revealed 53% reduction in ligand-binding pocket volume
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Biotechnology IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CDD collaborates with biotechnology companies to identify and characterize new drug targets, develop assays, and identify biomarkers. These partnerships leverage the center's research capabilities for translational drug discovery applications.
• Pharmaceutical IndustrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations with pharmaceutical companies for joint drug discovery programs, compound characterization, and therapeutic development using the center's proprietary compounds and methodologies.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Charles River Laboratories: Large CRO offering drug discovery, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, and in vivo pharmacology services. Comparable to CDD's integrated discovery services across medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, and behavioral pharmacology.
• Arena Pharmaceuticals (Pfizer): Was a leading GPCR-focused biotech (acquired by Pfizer in 2022) with deep expertise in cannabinoid and other GPCR drug discovery. Comparable as a larger, established player in the same GPCR drug discovery space where CDD conducts fundamental research.
• Boehringer Ingelheim: Global pharmaceutical company with substantial GPCR and CNS drug discovery programs, including research into non-opioid analgesics and addiction therapies. Comparable as a large industry collaborator / partner archetype for academic centers like CDD.

Direct peers

• Schrödinger, Inc. Computational drug design platform company combining physics-based modeling with medicinal chemistry. Comparable to CDD's computational drug design and structure-based ligand optimization capabilities applied to GPCR and related targets.
• Corbus Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biotech developing cannabinoid-receptor-targeting therapeutics for fibrosis, inflammation, and oncology. Directly comparable to CDD as a focused cannabinoid-receptor drug discovery organization pursuing translational therapeutics.

Emerging players

• Artelo Biosciences: Clinical-stage cannabinoid-focused biotech developing endocannabinoid system modulators for cancer, anorexia, and PTSD. Comparable niche focus on cannabinoid receptor pharmacology and translational drug discovery.
• INMed Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing cannabinoid-based therapies for neurological and dermatological conditions. Comparable as a smaller cannabinoid therapeutics developer translating receptor science into clinical programs.

Others

• Broad Institute: Major academic biomedical research institute conducting large-scale chemical biology and therapeutic discovery. Comparable as a multidisciplinary academic drug discovery platform with similar funding model (federal grants + industry partnerships).
• Scripps Research Institute: Leading academic research organization with strong medicinal chemistry, structural biology, and translational drug discovery programs. Comparable as a peer academic drug discovery center with multidisciplinary platform and NIH-funded operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/neucdd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-drug-discovery-at-northeastern-university

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Drug Discovery