James Foundation

The James Black Foundation (JBF) was a premier medicinal chemistry and pharmacology research organization founded in 1988 by Nobel laureate Sir James Black. Based in London and primarily funded by Johnson & Johnson, the foundation was a pioneer in rational drug design, focusing on the discovery of small molecule ligands for G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). JBF's research led to the development of several clinical candidates, most notably gastrazole (JB95008), a selective CCK2/gastrin receptor antagonist that reached Phase 2 clinical trials for pancreatic cancer. The foundation was renowned for its "analytical pharmacology" approach, which emphasized fundamental biological discoveries to identify and validate new drug targets. Following the death of Sir James Black and the cessation of its primary funding, the foundation was dissolved in 2010.