Identifying Drug Candidates Using Synapse

Drug research and development (R&D) is an intricate and time-consuming process that demands substantial financial investments and extensive allocation of resources. It encompasses multifaceted stages, including target identification, molecule development, preclinical and clinical trials, and subsequent regulatory approval. Given the magnitude of the undertaking, it becomes imperative to possess appropriate tools and insightful information to facilitate informed decision-making. This is precisely where Synapse assumes significance.

Synapse represents an innovative platform leveraging advanced AI technology to seamlessly integrate data from diverse sources. By harnessing this wealth of information, Synapse empowers stakeholders in the drug R&D domain to make astute decisions throughout the process. Whether one is a researcher, scientist, executive, or business development representative, Synapse proves instrumental in unraveling the intricate dynamics of intelligent drug R&D, identifying lucrative partnership prospects, and much more.

In this workflow, we will guide you through a use case to demonstrate how Synapse can assist in identifying potential drug candidates. We will start with generating a list of potential drugs and then focus on refining the search and setting up alerts to enhance your search results.

Once you are on the homepage of Synapse, you will see an option to expand the sidebar on the top left of the screen.

Once you have done that, you will see that the platform offers a variety of search options to cater to diverse needs. You can leverage the drug finder feature to explore drugs associated with specific drug types or organizations. Additionally, there are multiple playbooks available for you to look at and use. Another valuable tool is the competitive landscape analysis, which provides insights into various drug types, indications, and drugs. You can also conduct searches for clinical trials, patents, literature, and new sources.

In this workflow, however, the focus is on identifying specific drugs and drug candidates associated with a particular drug type and to achieve that, you can utilize the drug finder option.

Once you are on the Drug Finder search screen, you'll notice the variety of search options available to you. From this page, you can conduct searches using different fields, including specific drugs, drug types, organizations, targets, mechanisms, and indications. Moreover, you have the ability to refine your search by specific therapeutic areas, development phases, and preferred country or location.

In this case, we want to focus on a specific drug type. To do so, simply locate the drug type field on the page and enter the term you wish to search for, such as "monoclonal antibody", as an example.

The Smart Search functionality is designed to assist you in this process, displaying possible options as you are typing and allowing you to simply click on the option you are interested in. Once you've selected the term, you'll notice a preview at the bottom of the page indicating the expected number of drugs related to your search, such as 5906 drugs in this instance. If desired, you can further refine your search, but for now, click the search button to access the complete list of drugs matching your criteria.

You will notice on the results page that the list displays a total of 5906 drugs. If you wish, you can adjust the number of drugs shown per page by using the view option shown below, providing flexibility in viewing the results.

Now, although you have all the drugs associated with the specific drug type you are interested in, you might want to delve deeper and narrow down your search. In addition to monoclonal antibodies, you also might want to incorporate, for example, Antibody drug conjugates (ADC).

To achieve this, take a look at the sidebar where you will find field refinements that allow you to refine your search directly from the search results page. Under the "Drug Type" category, select the checkbox for "Antibody drug conjugate (ADC)" and a popup will appear, offering you the option to refine or exclude.

Since you are interested in ADC, click on "Refine." Kindly allow a moment for processing, and you will observe the drug count reduce significantly from over 5000 to 921.

Should you desire further customization of your search, such as excluding drugs that are suspended or discontinued, please utilize the "Drug Highest Phase" field. Scroll down until you locate the options for discontinued and suspended drugs in the refinements sidebar. By selecting both options and opting to "Exclude" these drugs instead of 'Refining', you will witness the drug count decrease from 935 to 833.

You may continue this refining process according to your preferences. For instance, if you solely wish to search for approved drugs, return to the "Drug Highest Phase" filter and choose the "Approved" option.  Click on 'Refine' and your results will be further refined, reducing the count from 833 to a mere 15 drugs.

By leveraging these filtering mechanisms, your search has become remarkably specific, effectively reducing the initial list of 5000+ drugs to a focused selection of 15 drugs that precisely meet your criteria and that align with your interests.

Email Alerts

The capabilities and functionality of Synapse extend beyond what has been discussed thus far. Through Synapse, it is possible to set up alerts for the specific search performed earlier, incorporating all the refinements made, allowing you to stay informed about any changes within the designated criteria, including additions or removals of drugs. To accomplish this, locate the "Set Alert" icon at the top, and upon clicking it, a pop-up will appear.

In the pop-up, you can assign a name for the alert. An overview of the search conditions will also be presented, beginning with the initial search for the monoclonal antibody drug type, followed by the applied filters to obtain the specific drugs of interest.

Regarding the 'Event Type', you will receive an email whenever a new or missing drug is displayed in the list. You have the option to send the email alert to yourself as well as your teammates. It is worth noting that your teammates don't have to be Synapse users, they will still be able to receive email alerts.

Furthermore, you can specify the frequency of the alerts, whether weekly or daily. For this example, let's choose the weekly frequency and select Monday as the preferred day. Additionally, there is an option to receive an alert even when there are no updates, which will be enabled in this case. Once you are satisfied with your alert settings, click "Submit" to successfully create the email alert.

Henceforth, whenever a new drug emerges within the specified search, you will promptly receive an email notification. Subsequently, you can then access the platform to analyze the specific drug if desired.