1st INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON DRUG DISCOVERY IN ACADEMIA, ISDDA 2016
“LEARNING FROM SUCCESS AND FAILURE”
Institute of Biomedical Sciences - University of São Paulo / São Paulo, Brazil
Butantan Institute / São Paulo, Brazil
Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery
November 17th, 2016
Eric Gross, MD, PhD.
Assistant Professor – Stanford University School of Medicine (USA)
Eric Gross is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He received his MD and PhD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and completed his residency in anesthesiology at Stanford University. Upon completion of his training, he became an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford. Dr. Gross has an extensive background in biomedical engineering, pharmacology and anesthesiology. His research focuses on developing non-narcotic cardiac-safe pain therapeutics based on protein-protein and protein-ligand interactions. By studying how opioids reduce myocardial injury and how the pathways of nociception and cardioprotection are linked, he is designing next generation analgesics that are safe to use for those with cardiovascular disease. Moreover, Dr. Gross is interested in investigating how TRPV1 channels, the ion channel which gives you the hot sensation in your mouth after you eat chili pepper, may be part of the cellular cross-talk between nociceptive and cardioprotective signaling pathways. Dr. Gross has over 44 accepted peer reviewed publications in high impact journals.
Che-Hong Chen, PhD.
Senior Research Scientist – Stanford University, School of Medicine (USA)
Co-Founder, ALDE Pharmaceuticals
CEO, Stanford-Taiwan ALDH2 Deficiency Research (STAR) Consortium
Dr. Che-Hong Chen, a molecular biologist and geneticist, has been a long-time research scientist at Stanford University. Dr. Chen's early research included the characterization of the first intra-cellular receptor for protein kinase C and its protein-protein interaction with other signaling molecules. Dr. Chen also researched on the role of ethanol-mediated cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injuries which led to his discovery on the important role of mitochondrial aldedehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) for aldehyde detoxification in heart. He and Prof. Daria Mochly-Rosen at Stanford University pioneered the discovery of a class of novel enzyme activators and inhibitors for aldehyde dehydrogenases. In 2011, Dr. Chen co-founded ALDEA Pharmaceuticals, a company established to develop the small molecule ALDH activators as therapeutics for human diseases. Dr. Chen's current research focuses on two of the most common human enzyme deficiencies, ALDH2 and G6PD, and the understanding of the molecular basis of human diseases caused by excessive oxidative stress and aldehydes toxicity. Dr. Chen is an internationally recognized leader in the research of aldehyde toxicity, ALDH2 and G6PD deficiency. He is also an expert in translational research for drug discovery and development. Dr. Chen is now the chief executive officer of the Stanford-Taiwan ALDH2 Deficiency Research (STAR) Consortium, a recently formed international research consortium devoted to the promotion of international research collaboration and public awareness of the danger of acetaldehyde toxicity and ALDH2 deficiency which affects nearly 560 million East Asians. Dr. also hold honorary visiting professorships at Taipei Medical University and Fu-Jen Catholic University in Taiwan.
Speakers
Kevin Madauss
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), UK
I did my undergraduate and graduate studies and the University of Kentucky and joined GSK in 2001 as a protein crystallographer. I worked in early Drug Discovery in the areas of Nuclear Receptors, Kinases, and Epigenetic targets. I joined the Trust in Science program in 2013 which engages in academic collaborations in emerging market countries with a focus in Latin America.
Eyleen O'Rourke, PhD.
University of Virginia, USA
Through evolutionary history the human genome was optimized to promote survival in environments where food is mostly scarce. These survivor-genomes clash with an environment where calorie-rich foods are readily available. Based on the premise that the genes networks that allow animals to endure starvation are under strong selective pressure and consequently conserved, we use a combination of cutting-edge functional genomics, biochemical, cell biology, genetic, and physiological approaches to identify and characterize the conserved gene networks that allow the animal model Caenorhabditis elegans to adapt to changes in food availability. Ultimately, our research would contribute to better understanding of how dysfunctional gene networks affect or cause obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, and accelerate aging.