The fourth running of the MMI Drug Design & Delivery course took place on 12-13 October 2009 in RCSI. An audience of 59 postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers heard 21 lectures over the two days. Participants came from the five MMI partner institutions and from Queen’s University Belfast, DIT, DCU and Opsona Therapeutics.

The course began with a keynote lecture from Prof. Bertrand Castro (Sanofi-Aventis)

In addition to faculty from TCD, UCD, RCSI, and UCC, there was a significant contribution from the pharmaceutical industry and the commercial sector to this course, facilitated by academic coordinators Dr Marc Devocelle (RCSI) and Dr David Brayden (UCD). Speakers from Sanofi-Aventis, Merrion Pharmaceuticals, Servier, Pfizer, Elan and BCM Hanby Wallace gave lectures on selected aspects of drug development.

The course opened with a thought-provoking keynote lecture from Professor Bertrand Castro (Scientific Director Industrial Affairs, Sanofi-Aventis). Professor Castro discussed the challenges faced by the pharmaceutical industry today. With the era of the ‘blockbuster’ drug believed to be over, possible new directions include multitherapy (e.g. the ‘polypill’), and drug repositioning (existing drugs for new indications).

The first day’s lectures covered aspects of drug design including drug-receptor interactions, the potential for enzyme inhibitors, natural products as leads in drug design, and structure-activity relationships. In the afternoon session, the focus was on rational computer-aided drug design and the techniques for determining molecular structure.

	Dr Richie Paul (Elan) gave a lecture on intellectual property

The second day included lectures on drug delivery by researchers from the SFI-funded Irish Drug Delivery Network and their industrial collaborators in Merrion Pharmaceuticals. An insight into the clinical trials process was given by the Irish Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ICRIN). An industry perspective on drug development was given by Dr Damian O’Connell (Executive Director, Pfizer and Chair of the MMI Board) and Dr Chantal Le Floch (Servier) gave an insight into regulatory affairs.

The course concluded with lectures on the management of intellectual property and the processes involved in the commercialisation of discoveries in the life sciences sector.

Attendees of the course will also have the opportunity to visit the TCD 3D visualisation facility, which enables researchers to view the interactions between receptors and candidate drugs.

For full details of the course schedule and faculty please see the course page at:

http://www.molecularmedicineireland.ie/education/course_info/1/151/1