>I don't think there are specific guidelines as to when you start calling something a candidate True, that's why I said "at our company". It differs everywher

>I don't think there are specific guidelines as to when you start calling something a candidate True, that's why I said "at our company". It differs everywhere, as you mention. My only point was that we screen thousands of compounds, and it's only after a compound has shown desirable activity, safety, ADME, PKPD, etc, that it becomes a real "candidate". Not everyone realizes this, and thinks you can synthesize a compound and the next step is to file an IND. Your point about CROs is a good one, and I thought of it after my post. We use lots of CROs, too. And there are obviously lots of successful virtual companies that don't do any wet-work at all. But CROs cost lots of money. Not really cheaper than doing it yourself, just more convenient sometimes. Virtual companies can work because they have millions in VC. Anyway good luck with your endeavor. I don't mean to sound cynical or negative, but not everyone in IT realizes that the two fields are qualitatively different in many ways and I think the differences are worth pointing out since they're often overlooked around here...