The Drug Discovery & Development platform (DDD) works together with principal investigators (PIs) primarily at Swedish universities to generate prototype drugs based on their proposed therapeutic concept. We offer industry-standard infrastructure, expertise, and strategic support for technology development or to help progress projects towards a preclinical proof-of-concept. We work with small molecules, human antibodies, oligonoucleotides and new modality therapeutics for polypharmacology and cell therapeutics.

Projects at the DDD platform commonly run for 4-5 years, during which we work closely together with the PI team with the aim to generate molecules that are ready for further development into drugs.

Achievements and Testimonials

“We couldn’t have done this project without SciLifeLab. To begin with, we didn’t even know which things we didn’t know, so to speak. Nor did we have the funds to be able to do it ourselves. The vast competence of the DDD platform scientists has been invaluable to us.”

Olle Hernell (Umeå University)

“To have access to the expertise and techniques provided by the DDD was critical for us in order to be able to advance our research.”

Tina Sarén (Uppsala University)

Recent publications

A paper titled “An Adaptable Antibody-Based Platform for Flexible Synthetic Peptide Delivery Built on Agonistic CD40 Antibodies” was recently published in Advanced Therapeutics, with many contributors from the DDD Platform. This work was the result of a successful project owned by Sara Mangsbo and her colleagues, which made an exit in 2021.

Other recent papers of interest:

Izadi A, Karami Y, Bratanis E, Wrighton S, Khakzad H, Nyblom M, Olofsson B, Happonen L, Tang D, Sundwall M, Godzwon M, Chao Y, Toledo AG, Schmidt T, Ohlin M, Nilges M, Malmström J, Bahnan W, Shannon O, Malmström L, Nordenfelt P. The hinge-engineered IgG1-IgG3 hybrid subclass IgGh₄₇ potently enhances Fc-mediated function of anti-streptococcal and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Nat Commun. 2024 Apr 27;15(1):3600.

Sarén, T., Saronio, G., Marti Torrell, P. et al. Complementarity-determining region clustering may cause CAR-T cell dysfunction. Nat Commun 14, 4732 (2023).

Luttens, A., Gullberg, H., Abdurakhmanov, E., et al. Ultralarge Virtual Screening Identifies SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Inhibitors with Broad-Spectrum Activity against Coronaviruses. JACS 144, 7 (2022).

Featured project

From antiparasitic to anticancer: DDD exit project explores new treatment strategies for cancer and lupus

On November 5, 2025, we celebrated the exit of a project led by Peter Nygren, Mårten Fryknäs, and Rolf Larsson at Uppsala University. The project illustrates how drug repurposing, combined with interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative chemistry to overcome pharmacological limitations, can open novel avenues for therapeutic development. Read more here.

Featured Project

Activation of potassium channels

“SciLifeLab Drug Discovery & Development project owner and SciLifeLab board member Professor Fredrik Elinder was interviewed in the ionchannellibrary. He outlines the challenge of undertaking and funding drug discovery efforts in academia, the need for high-throughput ion channel measurements, and ultramarathons – all in one place.

News archive

Interested in the DDD platform’s past news articles and achievements? Below are links to older news articles involving the work that is done at our unit.

• Exit of Jens Carlsson’s SARS CoV2 project, 2023
• Susanne Lindquist’s project (exited DDDP 2019) and further developments of this drug candidate by Lipum AB
• CAR-T project by the Magnus Essand lab (exit 2020) and its further development by Elicera Therapeutics
• Collaboration with Medivir AB in the Nevermore Covid project in 2020
• Sara Mangsbo’s project exit (2021) and its further development by Strike Pharma
• Maréne Landström’s project exit (2021) on an anti-cancer antibody drug candidate
• Thomas Helleday’s project exit (2021) on an MTHFD2 inhibitor for AML treatment