Bexarotene was the first of about a dozen potential drug compounds identified by the research.
As a result, Pfizer has more potential drug compounds in early-stage development than ever before, Dr. LaMattina said.
Succinic acid has uses in certain drug compounds, in agricultural and food production, and in manufacturing.
The first commercial products are on the market, designed to sort snippets of DNA or screen thousands of potential drug compounds quickly and automatically.
Such differences could lead to the identification of drug compounds for improved healing in heart disease, as well as other types of ailments and injuries, the researchers said.
Celgene, based in Warren, N.J., said it planned to move three new Signal drug compounds for cancer and inflammatory diseases into clinical trials soon.
Cytovia has developed drug candidates for cancer, oral mucositis and cardiovascular diseases as well as screening technology to test new drug compounds.
He caught a lucky break in 2010, while on a project in the Philippines exploring the marine mollusk as a potential source of drug compounds.
The procedure, commonly referred to as lipodissolve, involves injections of drug compounds that have not been approved for cosmetic medical use by the Food and Drug Administration.
Caliper sells a robotic machine that can perform tens of thousands of experiments a day, testing, for example, which potential drug compounds bind to a particular protein.
His father is a senior medical fellow at Eli Lilly & Company in Indianapolis, overseeing the production of drug compounds.
