from SBS’ president
BIOIMAGING
New Tools Offer Career Opportunities
 By G. Sitta Sittampalam
This is the first in a series of columns by Dr. Sittampalam that examine
trends and future directions for drug discovery.
The critical importance of imaging technology to molecular biology
and genetics, chemistry, and pharmacology and pharmaceutics was underscored
when two imaging innovators shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine. Discoveries by Paul Lauterbur and Peter Mansfield helped make magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) feasible, and the method is still in rapid development.
In fact, functional magnetic resonance imaging, quantitative magnetic resonance,
optical coherence tomography, 3-D ultrasound, and other technologies that
matured in the biomedical field are becoming increasingly useful research
tools in early drug discovery and in the study of in vivo pharmacology in
animal models. Non-invasive imaging of diseased tissues and organs in animal
models—before and after treatment with drug candidates—is proving
to be of value. It allows us to make qualitative and quantitative measurements
under physiological conditions, and to look at multiple events simultaneously,
in live, anesthetized animals. This enables us to collect data without sacrificing
the animal, and to limit the number of animals used in a particular study
without compromising statistical validity.
There are tremendous opportunities for analytical and bioanalytical scientists
in the rapidly growing field of imaging science. Many people in the SBS world
have the necessary skills and can actually jump into this arena with great
ease. These skills include a deep understanding of biology, chemistry, and
drug discovery; measurement skills in sampling, instrumentation, reagent
development, and data capture, analysis, and interpretation.
SBS members may want to consider these opportunities, whether you are already
in a company or research institution involved in early drug discovery, or
you are thinking of changing careers or starting out on your own.
For more information, see Bioimaging in drug discovery sciences by Dr. Sittampalam
and Dr. Michael Westmore, which is part of an upcoming special issue of the
Journal of Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. The article was published
online on October 16, 2003; DOI: 10.1007/s00216-003-2264-8.
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Countdown to SBS’ 10th Anniversary Conference
Presenters Address the Future of Drug Discovery and Pay Homage to the Past
by Christine Giordano
SBS Executive Director
The Society for Biomolecular Sciences will be hosting its 10th Anniversary SBS
Conference and Exhibition next year in sunny Orlando, Florida, and we invite
you to join us from September 11 to 15 for a special celebration of advancing
the future of drug discovery. As we embark upon the next 10 years, we will
continue to provide an impartial forum for the exchange of ideas and serve
as a catalyst for new discoveries.
We’re delighted that Drs. Christopher Lipinski (Pfizer) and Stephen
Rees (GlaxoSmithKline) will be chairing the proceedings. In their invitation
to members, they observe that—after the huge technological advances
accrued over the past decade—the field of biomolecular screening
is now at a crossroads. Therefore, sessions in the 2004 annual meeting
will reflect both the 10th anniversary theme and the issue of being at
a crossroads. The program will chart the development of biomolecular screening
since the society’s inception, and extend into the future evolution
of the field. Presentations will be drawn in part from the most popular
topics of past meetings, and these session staples will be substantially
updated—several by the original chairs—as part of the 2004
technical program.
Drs. Lipinski and Rees, and the conference committee members, also agreed
that areas that may influence the future direction of biomolecular screening—in
particular, biomarkers and ADMETox, which were identified by the SBS Board
of Directors as areas of increasing importance—should also have a
prominent place in the proceedings.
As always, the conference presentations will highlight practical solutions
to today’s challenges in drug discovery and related fields, while
presenting informed views on what to expect in the next decade.
Potential topics include: - Productivity in Drug Discovery: Where We've Been and Where We're
Going
- Biopharmaceuticals: What SBS Members Ought to Know
- Challenges in Reagent Provisions: Keeping Pace with uHTS
- Chemogenomics: Using Chemistry to Select Targets
- Reducing Attrition through High-Throughput ADMETox
- Evolution of HTS: A Critical Analysis
- Role of in vivo and in vitro Imaging in Drug Discovery
- Critical Comparison of Screening Technologies
- Concept to Product: Business Development and IP Issues
- Lead-like versus Drug-like Libraries
- Pathway Analysis: Target Selection and Screen Development
- Identifying Hits: Statistics of HTS
- Expanding the Druggable Genome
- Point/Counterpoint: What are the Future Targets?
The conference will be held at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention
Center (www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordpalms), located just outside
Orlando in Kissimmee-St Cloud, Florida. The conference organizers
felt that attendees would appreciate having everything—scientific
sessions, accommodations, and activities—under one roof.
The venue is unique in that it offers four themed areas that reflect
notable locales in Florida: St. Augustine, which features cobblestone
pathways and a replica of an old Spanish fort; Emerald Bay, with
Spanish Renaissance architecture; Key West, the section that overlooks
a 60-foot sailboat resting on a coral reef; and the Everglades
area, which features cypress and sabal palms, indigenous flora,
and provides a wooden walkway that extends over bogs and through
fog, amid the songs of various animals and insects. Also of note:
Disneyworld is only five minutes away!
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Advancing The Science of Drug Discovery
Stories in This Issue:
