From molecules to medicines: some thoughts on drug discovery, Sir Simon Campbell

Modern medicines are often derived from simple starting points such as small molecules.

Long before a medicine reaches patients around the World, its molecular and biological properties are analysed and carefully considered by expert scientists from various disciplines. Could a particular molecule interact with human targets in ways that change the course of disease? Can we design molecules that will modify the course of disease, and improve patients’ lives? 

Few scientists understand that journey better than Sir Simon Campbell, Honorary Fellow of Sidney Sussex College and one of Britain’s most distinguished medicinal chemists. Over the course of his research spanning more than two decades at Pfizer, Campbell played a central role in the discovery of several important molecules including amlodipine, the World’s leading treatment for high blood pressure and sildenafil, which was later commercialised as Viagra. Sir Simon has also been closely involved with the discovery of new treatments for life threatening diseases such malaria and TB which have achieved significant clinical success in some of the poorest populations.

“Chance only favours the prepared mind.” Louis Pasteur

Check out the 8-slide mini lecture for STEM students below.

Campbell has always been careful to emphasise that scientific discovery is rarely the work of a single individual. It is the product of teams, persistence and the willingness to follow unexpected results wherever they lead.

Which problems the participants of the Sidney STEM Residential 2026 hope to solve:

“I am a great fan of the Roman Centurion who leads, motivates and cares for 100 soldiers.

When I lead and managed 100 chemists, I was familiar with all of their research as we constantly shared and challenged our ideas and results.” Sir Simon Campbell CBE FMedSci FRS

As Sidney welcomed a new cohort of talented students for the Campbell Easter Residential in STEM, Campbell’s career offers a compelling reminder that scientific curiosity sometimes sparked in school  laboratories, can eventually lead to discoveries that can improve and save millions of lives.

Through the Simon and Jill Campbell Foundation, this dedicated couple support the Campbell Easter Residential in STEM, along with grants and bursaries to ensure that talented students from state schools have attractive opportunities to study Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Cambridge and Birmingham. Their aim is simple but powerful: to open the doors of scientific discovery to the next generation.

For students arriving at Sidney this year, Campbell’s journey offers both inspiration and perspective. The path from curiosity to discovery is rarely predictable. But with the right questions and the determination to pursue molecules with different shapes, sizes and properties, you can eventually change the world for the better.