Trends in the organization of drug research: interfacing industry and universities

This article shortly describes some of the current social, political and scientific developments that are considered to be of relevance for the future organization of drug research in Europe. Attention is paid to the social-political changes that affect the academic and industrial research teams. These developments will inevitably lead to a closer and more structured collaboration between universities and pharmaceutical/chemical companies, for example, in the fields of drug delivery research, molecular pathophysiology and clinical drug studies. The creation of national research networks aimed at drug innovation in specific therapeutic areas is anticipated given the current evolution in this field in the Netherlands. The impact of modern technology in computational chemistry, molecular biology, and drug delivery are discussed together with the impact of drug utilization studies on drug design and development. A currently developed model for drug innovation in which multidisciplinary teams work in specific therapeutic areas, while receiving feedback from the clinical practice, is presented and discussed in relation to the creation of post-graduate research schools in the Netherlands. Such research organizations as, for example, the Groningen Utrecht Institute for Drug Exploration (GUIDE), are natural partners for the innovative drug industry and provide a stimulating environment not only for forming specialists, but also for training more multidiscipline orientated (integrative) scientists in drug research.