May 21, 2007
The Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presented its 2007 awards at the Second Annual Chapel Hill Drug Conference on May 19.
Janet Woodcock, MD, chief medical officer of the Food and Drug Administration, was named the recipient of the IPIT Award for Clinical Service. This award honors a person who has made significant direct contributions to the advancement of individualized therapy in clinical practice.
Larry Lesko, PhD, director of the FDA Office of Clinical Pharmacology and Biopharmaceutics, received the IPIT Award for Public Service. This award is presented to honor a person who has made a significant impact on the advancement of individualized therapy across society.
Sharon Terry, MA, president and CEO of Genetic Alliance, was honored with the IPIT Award for Patient Service. This award is given to an individual who has made significant contributions to empowering patients and who champion a focus on patient in the advancement of individualized therapy. Genetic Alliance is a coalition of more than 600 advocacy organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for everyone living with genetic conditions.
“The completion of the Human Genome Project brought the promise of new tools for choosing the safest and most beneficial medicines for patients,” said Howard McLeod, director of the UNC institute. “But realizing these tools requires great dedication and leadership by experts from diverse areas of health sciences, leaders such as Janet Woodcock, Larry Lesko and Sharon Terry.”
“Scientific discovery does not automatically become clinically useful,” McLeod said. “It takes extraordinary effort to convert an idea into better patient care.”
The UNC Institute for Pharmacogenomics and Individualized Therapy brings together researchers and clinicians across the University to create personalized therapies and treatments for patients suffering from a wide variety of conditions.
Pharmacogenomics explores how information in our genes influences our response to drugs. It involves integrating pharmacology with modern advances in genome analysis to improve public health.
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