Future Medicines For One World
"Systems approaches to drug discovery, development and clinical usage"
To download a printable PDF of the Preliminary Programme, please click HERE
The scientific programme addresses progress in the pharmaceutical sciences in the context of questions from society. The scientific programme is structured as a matrix in which the different columns are the tracks in the scientific programme and the rows reflect the questions from society. The figure shows the overall structure of the matrix. The different tracks in the conference as reflected in the columns are:
track A = drug design, fundamental and translational sciences,
track B = drug delivery & targeting sciences,
track C = formulation & manufacturing sciences and quality assurance,
track D = regulatory sciences and
track E = science-based practice.
In addition, a separate track T, focuses on specific multi-disciplinary themes such as “medicines for one world”, “open innovation”, “education & training” and “antimicrobial resistance”.
Conference matrix
6 Tracks:
Track A: Fundamental & translational sciences
Track B: Drug delivery & targeting sciences
Track C: Formulation & manufacturing sciences
Track D: Regulatory sciences
Track E: Science-based practice
Track T: Thematic Symposia
What is the systems therapeutics approach and why is it important?
Systems biology has emerged as a novel scientific discipline, which focuses on the analysis of biological networks as the basis for the functioning of biological systems. Systems analysis will revolutionize medicines and health research. This will impact on both the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice, says congress chairman Professor Meindert Danhof.
In research, systems biology offers a novel approach to:
i) Identifying pathways of disease;
ii) Discovering drug targets; and
iii) Discovering biomarkers (for monitoring of the treatment response).
In practice, this will lead to the introduction of “systems therapeutics” interventions which are:
i) Personalised (both with respect to the selection of drug(s) and dosing regimens);
ii) Disease modifying (with emphasis on pre-emptive and preventive treatments); and
iii) Complex (such as multi-target drugs, rational drug-drug combinations, drug-device combinations).
