BioDuro Strengthens Early Drug Discovery Capabilities with New Hire

BioDuro has announced the appointment of Greg Makara, Ph.D., as the company’s Senior Vice President Lead Discovery Chemistry. This appointment comes as the company looks to expand its computational chemistry, AI, and lead discovery capabilities (1).

Makara brings more than two decades of experience in drug discovery and chemistry leadership across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and technology companies. His background spans library development, hit-to-lead and lead optimization, computer-aided drug discovery, and AI-assisted drug discovery.Prior to this new role, Makara was the founder and CEO of ChemPass, and previously held the positions of CEO and Chief Technology Officer at ComInnex, where he co-established the firm’s chemistry services unit. Makara’s earlier career includes serving as site head for AMRI Hungary, leading the target validation chemistry group for Merck & Co in Rahway, and working at NeoGenesis Pharmaceuticals on implementing its ALIS affinity selection-mass spectrometry screening technology.At BioDuro, Makara will oversee the integration of computational tools across the company’s early-phase drug discovery operations, which will involve leading discovery programs and broadening the use of molecular modelling, structure-based drug design, fragment-based discovery, virtual screening, molecular design, and compound prioritization. BioDuro said these capabilities will complement its experimental chemistry, biology, and DMPK expertise, with the aim of helping clients accelerate hit identification, lead generation, and optimization.“This appointment builds on BioDuro’s broader efforts to incorporate AI and advanced computational tools into our drug discovery services,” said Dr. Armin Spura, CEO of BioDuro, in a company press release (1). “Greg brings deep experience across computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and early-stage drug discovery. His expertise will help us further strengthen our integrated discovery platform and provide clients with more powerful, data-driven approaches to advance their programs.”“BioDuro has built a strong foundation in chemistry, biology, DMPK, and integrated drug discovery, and I am excited to help further connect these capabilities with computational and medicinal chemistry,” added Makara in the press release (1). “The combination of computational and experimental approaches can create a more efficient and informed discovery process. I look forward to working with BioDuro’s scientists and clients to apply these approaches to challenging drug discovery programs and accelerate the path from hits to optimized leads.”The appointment reflects a wider shift in drug discovery towards data-driven workflows that combine computational prediction with laboratory validation. Recent market analysis projects the global drug discovery platforms market to reach USD 9.87 billion by 2033, with AI-enabled technologies, computational chemistry, and automated workflows among the principal growth drivers (2). AI is increasingly being applied across the discovery continuum rather than as a standalone tool with projections that the AI in the drug discovery market will grow to USD 17.56 billion by 2031, citing a movement towards integrated ecosystems that connect biological data, computational chemistry, and experimental validation (3).For service providers such as BioDuro, the commercial opportunity lies in combining computational design with the experimental capabilities needed to synthesize, test, and optimize candidate molecules. The company’s latest leadership appointment signals its intention to position computational and AI-enabled chemistry as a central component of its outsourced early-discovery offering.References1. BioDuro. BioDuro Appoints Greg Makara as Senior Vice President Lead Discovery Chemistry to Strengthen Early Drug Discovery Capabilities. Press Release, Oct. 1, 2026.2. Research and Markets. Global Drug Discovery Platforms Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis Report by Drug Type, End Use, Application, Therapeutic, Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2026-2033. Report, June 2026.3. MarketsandMarkets. AI in Drug Discovery Market. Report, July 2026.