Vernalis Research develops and applies fragment and structure-based methods to drug discovery,[1][2][3] and has generated cell active lead compounds and development candidates against biological targets in oncology, neurodegeneration, anti-infectives and inflammation.

[5] Their scientists, based at Granta Park, Cambridge UK, integrate fragment-based approaches, structural biology, biophysics, assay technology, drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, cheminformatics, molecular modelling and computational, synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry to enable drug discovery on both established and novel targets, progressing projects from target identification through to clinical candidate.

Recently disclosed collaborations include those with Servier,[13][12] Daiichi Sankyo, Lundbeck[17][18] and Asahi Kasei Pharma.

These include V158866, the lead molecule arising from an in-house FAAH research programme, which completed a phase II study in spinal cord injury patients in July 2015.

[8] A further example is V158411, the lead intravenous molecule arising from an in-house structure-based Chk1 oncology research programme.