Pioneering efforts in combinatorial chemistry have earned Tucson-based Aventis Combinatorial Technologies Center (ACTC) a spot on the cover of this month's Drug Discovery & Development.

ACTC pioneered the use of combinatorial chemistry (combichem), a technique for identifying chemical leads for drug targets. A number of methodological factors contributed to the technique's failure early on, but it is now poised to come back strong. When it does, ACTC plans to be at the forefront.

ACTC, formerly known as Selectide, was founded in 1990 by Sydney Salmon, Kit Lam, Victor Hruby, and Evan Hersh, professors at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson. Selectide was acquired in 1995 by Marion Merrill Dow. It became part of Aventis via a series of mergers.

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For more information:

"Combichem's Desert Hideaway," Drug Discovery & Development