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Repurposing TIN Seminar: Lessons Learnt in Drug Repurposing

11 November 2020, 3:00 pm–4:30 pm

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In the third webinar of this TIN series our speakers will discuss the challenges they have faced in the world of drug repurposing.

Event Information

Open to

All

Availability

Yes

Organiser

Alina Shrourou

Location

Online
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NA
NA
United Kingdom

The main advantage of drug repurposing is that it benefits patients and requires lower costs compared to de novo drug development. Theoretically, it is possible for a drug to be active for multiple therapeutic indications and to get reoriented when its in vivo pharmacology is better understood.

In practice, however, several hurdles can impair the development of a potential new usage. Safety concerns, effective dosage for the new target population and ultimately the altered pharmacokinetic profile of the drug to reposition could contrast the molecular opportunities foreseen at the beginning. Other obstacles can come from the commercial and regulatory aspect around drug discovery. In fact existing market exclusivities around the molecule may affect the research on an additional indication, as no profit would derive from it.

In the third webinar of this TIN series our speakers will discuss the challenges they had to face when they repurposed their drugs of choice and what they could have done differently to facilitate the process, successfully bring the molecules to market and ultimately make the new usage of the compound possible.

Agenda

  • Dr Asha Recino (TIN Coordinator) introduction to the TIN (5mins)
  • Prof. Oscar Della Pasqua (SoP, TIN Chair)- “Lessons from a programme for the treatment of myopia in children” (15 mins)
  • Prof. Ariberto Fassati (Div of Infection & Immunity)- “Hsp90 and RORC2 for HIV-1 cure: two different approaches to drug repurposing” (15 mins)
  • Prof. Thomas Foltynie (IoN)- “The diabetes drug Exenatide for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease” (15 mins)
  • Prof. Jeremy Chataway (IoN)- “Repurposing Simvastatin for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis” (15 mins)
  • Panel discussion and Q&A: 20 mins

Basic and translational researchers from across UCL are encouraged to attend. The Repurposing TIN aims to reach out to researchers at all career stages currently involved/or planning to work in the Drug Repurposing space and interested in what research questions to ask when repositioning drugs that are already on the market. We'd also like to invite existing and potential industry partners to attend, as we provide insights into the work of the TIN and examples of the types of projects looking for collaborators to accelerate translation.