With me today is Dr. Stephen Gately, President and Chief Scientific Officer of TGen Drug Development, or TD2, a CRO designed to optimize a clients drug development needs through a unique and full portfolio of services.

Question: Dr. Gately, tell me a bit about TD2.

Answer: TD2 is different from other drug development companies in that it represents an integrated solution for drug development. Our team can take a compound from discovery all the way through Phase I clinical trials.

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Q: You mention on your website the "TD2 Solution". Can you tell me a bit about that?

A: The TD2 Solution starts with our greatest competitive differentiator, which is our team. We've assembled a group of individuals who are dedicated to innovating drug development, and taking compounds and moving them as quickly as possible out of the lab and into patients with cancer.

The TD2 Solution represents the full continuum of drug development. When a client signs up to conduct a preclinical study with our team, they're also getting the insight of our clinical and regulatory teams as they make assessments about positioning the molecule. It's not just another study. It's actually a representation of a path forward. So, it's really a pathfinder initiative for the company. “The TD2 Solution” represents a way for them to add value to their program by identifying the end game: How do we get this drug approved?

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Q: Adding value to your clients seems to be a key focus at TD2. That actually leads into the next question, which is, why does TD2 have such a high client return rate?

A. TD2 has a high client return rate because we've assembled a world-class team that adds value at each step of the drug development process. We have members of our group that find solutions that enable the development of agents faster and more cost affectively. Clients recall that process and want to stay with us.

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Q: One of the things that people in the industry have noticed is that drug development is changing. Can you talk to me a little bit about what some of the changes are in the drug development industry and what TD2 is doing to stay competitive?

A: The drug development industry is now moving towards an outsourcing model to save money. And in order to be successful at outsourcing, you have to identify and partner with organizations that share your mission and vision. And that's the success of the TD2 organization, is we're the best in the world at value creation and positioning of new therapeutic agents. And we care about taking those agents to patients. We are compassionate about getting these compounds to patients who really need them, and finding ways to find responders to those treatments so we have a higher chance of getting these drugs approved. For us, it's not just moving another molecule through the program. For us, it's finding solutions as soon as we begin working on the compounds.

TD2 is highly adaptive. Like TGen we stay at the front end of technological innovation and we're constantly searching for technologies and methods that will allow us to speed the development of new therapeutic agents. The way we stay competitive in this space is we apply our compassionate drug development capabilities with the best technologies. That includes expanding our capabilities in supporting chemistry and manufacturing, in supporting toxicological assessment of new agents, and testing them in models, which are more predictive of success in patients.

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Q: You mention TGen, or the Translational Genomics Research Institute. You are an affiliate of TGen, if you can, speak to the relationship with TGen and how that works.

A: TD2's partnership with TGen is the foundation of our success. We were originally designed to support the great scientific innovation, to focus on the genomic basis of disease. Our job was to the find the business solution to great science. We are a natural partner for the TGen enterprise.

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