September 2019
Ohio State Research Discovery Enters Phase I Clinical Testing
With support from the DDI, a new targeted oral therapy is being offered as an experimental treatment option for patients with certain advanced cancers, including lymphoma.
Drug Development Institute
Accelerating innovative research to speed cures to cancer patients
Accelerating innovative research to speed cures to cancer patients
Uniquely Structured to Accelerate Drug Development Projects
DDI helps move basic discoveries into the clinic in a systematic and rigorous manner
Prioritizing investments in promising drug and device development
- About
The DDI was founded to address the translational development gap that exists between discoveries made in the research lab and the conversion of those discoveries to innovative drug therapies for patients.
- Pipeline
The DDI invests its resources in the most viable projects after a robust validation process.
- Capabilities
The DDI leverages world-class research and drug development resources at The Ohio State University to advance projects from early drug discovery through preclinical and clinical development.
- Team
The DDI is led by a team of highly experienced scientists.
- Advisory Board
The DDI Advisory Board consists of internationally recognized experts with proven track records in pharmaceutical drug discovery, development and commercialization.
- For Industry and Venture Capital Firms
DDI partners with pharmaceutical, biotech and venture capital companies to bridge the gap between drug discovery and early clinical development, accelerating development timelines and delivering innovative treatments to patients sooner.
- For Researchers
The DDI can accelerate your research project into new therapies for patients.
- Success Stories
Over a short period, the DDI has established productive partnerships and out-licensed several drug development projects.
The Drug Development Institute (DDI) is a biotech-like institute embedded in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). By bringing an industry-focused perspective to all investment and management decisions, the DDI ensures that programs have a high likelihood of progressing to clinical stage development. Our goal is to rapidly translate Ohio State’s most innovative research into tomorrow’s most promising treatments for patients with cancer.
The DDI employs a combination of targeted investments, strategic management and cutting-edge drug development resources to drive projects from discovery through early drug development, thus creating high-value new drug candidates.
Questions? Contact us at ddi@osumc.edu or 614-685-6957.
Jeffrey Patrick, PharmD, and the Drug Development Institute
The James Cancer-Free World Podcast
The OSUCCC – James Drug Development Institute is helping great scientists take their new discoveries and cancer-fighting drugs from the "bench" in the lab to the "bedside" to help patients. Dr. Patrick takes us through the long, difficult and expensive process.
The OSUCCC – James Drug Development Institute is helping great scientists take their new discoveries and cancer-fighting...
read moreSuccess Stories
Since making its first investment in 2013, the DDI has achieved a number of key milestones
and is making a significant impact on the drug development environment in Ohio.
December 2015
Biosortia Pharmaceuticals (Research Collaboration)
Biosortia Pharmaceuticals and the OSUCCC − James entered a collaboration providing cancer researchers with access to novel natural products for the purpose of drug development.
December 2014
Evotec AG (Research Collaboration)
The OSUCCC − James and Evotec AG formed a research collaboration to advance a novel mechanism for engaging the important cancer target, Kras.
June 2014
Sirona Therapeutics, Inc. (Spin-Out Company)
The DDI led an effort to partner with Venture Therapeutics, Inc., The Ohio State University and the University of Michigan to commercialize an oral patch for delivery of drugs for the treatment of precancerous lesions.
The DDI Team
The Drug Development Institute is led by a team of highly experienced research and drug development scientists
Jeffrey Patrick, PharmD
Senior Institute Director and Clinical Pharmacist
Dr. Patrick is a residency-trained clinical pharmacist with nearly 20 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. He brings expertise in executive leadership, scientific and medical strategy and program building.
Janel Ezzell, PhD
Director of Business and Portfolio Development
Dr. Ezzell is a business development professional with over seven years of experience negotiating agreements between academia and corporate partners.
Chad Bennett, PhD
Senior Director of Chemistry
Dr. Bennett is a process and medicinal chemist with over 12 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry at Merck and Schering-Plough, working in both the discovery and early-development phases.
Gerard Hilinski, PhD
Senior Director of Biochemistry
Dr. Hilinski is a biochemist with over 15 years of experience in design and synthesis of conformationally stabilized peptides. Previously at FogPharma as scientific co-founder, he brings distinctive expertise and perspective to the DDI.
Celeste Alverez, PhD
Technical Project Manager
Dr. Alverez is a project manager and medicinal chemist with nearly 10 years of experience in the design and synthesis of small molecule inhibitors for drug discovery, particularly relating to the field of oncology.
Reena Shakya, PhD
Cancer Biologist
Dr. Shakya is Ohio State’s director of the Target Validation Shared Resource (TVSR). She brings extensive experience with cancer xenografts, GEM models and in vivo validation.
Christopher Coss, PhD
Preclinical Pharmacologist
Dr. Coss is an assistant professor in the Ohio State College of Pharmacy. Previously at GTx Inc., his experience ranges from preclinical models to late-stage clinical assays.
Damien Gerald, PhD
Senior Director of Cancer Biology
Dr. Gerald is a cancer biologist supporting an oncology portfolio of small molecules and biologics. Previously at Eli Lilly and Company, he brings extensive expertise in leadership of preclinical programs as well as experience with molecular, cell-based and <em>in vivo</em> methods.
Cindy Evans
Administrative Assistant
Cindy has over 20 years of experience in administrative management in a variety of roles from small business to academia.
Partner With the DDI
Our goal is to create unique, high-value, commercially-viable therapies that address unmet medical needs for cancer patients.
For Researchers
Learn what makes a good drug development project, how to seek advice on developing a new therapy and how to apply for project support.
Learn MoreFor Industry and Venture Capital Firms
Partnering with the DDI provides earlier access to new innovative drug candidates with reduced development time and costs.
Get InvolvedContact Us
The DDI is always eager to learn more about innovative new research projects that address unmet medical needs.
Contact Us