Category: Divisions
Three Named as Eli Lilly Predoctoral Fellows
January 8, 2007Company Expands Funding for Fellows Program from Two Years to Four UNC School of Pharmacy graduate students Xin Ming, Jeannie Padowski, and Brandon Swift have been named 2006–2008 Eli Lilly and Co.-UNC Predoctoral Fellows in Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Disposition. Over the past four years, Lilly has provided funding for two predoctoral fellows in this program. In light of the success of this program from both the company and University perspectives, Lilly increased its commitment by supporting the fellowship program for four more years. Kim Brouwer, PharmD, chair of the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, says that Lilly maintains … Read more
UNC Spin-off Licenses Technology to Drug Development Company
December 14, 2006Qualyst, a company created based on discoveries made at the UNC School of Pharmacy, announced that Covance Laboratories Inc., has licensed the use of Qualyst’s B-CLEAR® system to provide its pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors with pharmacokinetic services. B-CLEAR® is a sandwich-cultured hepatocyte system for the in vitro assessment and in vivo prediction of critical pharmacokinetic properties, including hepatobiliary disposition, hepatic uptake, hepatic accumulation, biliary clearance and drug transport. B-CLEAR® offers research organizations the ability to generate physiologically-relevant data and enable decision making in critical areas related to hepatic transport and adverse drug interactions, helping to avoid costly drug-development challenges and … Read more
Ferreri One of 40 to Attend Nonprescription Medicines Academy Conference
November 13, 2006Stefanie Ferreri, PharmD, was one of forty-four participants at the ninth annual Nonpresecription Medicines Academy Conference held October 5–7 in Cincinnati. The conference is for college faculty who provide instruction on nonprescription medicines and medical devices. The conference included topics such as education, research, and public health issues. Each participant provided a brief presentation or a poster on an instructional innovation, project or research initiative in the area of nonprescription medicines. Ferreri’s presentation was “Evaluation of Calcium Supplementation in Bisphosphonate Therapy.” Other presentations included “National Curriculum Survey—Status of Instruction of Nonprescription Medicines,” “Future Rx to OTC Switches,” and “Creating Awareness … Read more
Faculty Letter Published in Science Magazine
October 11, 2006Science magazine recently published a letter written by Alan Kozikowski, Bryan Roth, and Alex Tropsha that argues in favor of developing academic drug discovery programs. Tropsha and Roth are faculty at the UNC School of Pharmacy, and Kozikowski is a professor at the University of Chicago. Please click “Why Academic Drug Discovery Makes Sense” to read the full text.
Rezk Honored With Two Prestigious Awards
October 9, 2006Naser Rezk, a research associate in the Clinical Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at the School of Pharmacy, has been honored with two prestigious awards: the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Innovation and the State Employees’ Award for Excellence in Innovation. Rezk is responsible for developing ways to measure drugs and metabolites in biological fluids to answer important questions in the treatment of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The data he generates are critical to improving patient care. The awards were given in recognition of Rezk’s work in establishing the Clinical Pharmacology and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory’s top ranking in the number of drugs measured and the … Read more
Brouwer Honored by the University of Kentucky
September 1, 2006Kim Brouwer, chair of the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the University of Kentucky Outstanding Graduate Program Alumni for the Pharmaceutical Sciences. The goal of this award is to honor graduates of the University of Kentucky in recognition of their accomplishments and contributions to scholarship, education, and research in the pharmaceutical sciences.
Sassano Selected as Amgen Fellow
August 23, 2006Maria “Flori” Sassano, a third-year graduate student in the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products, has been selected as the School’s 2006-2007 Amgen Fellow. Sassano’s research focuses on improving the side effects of Paclitaxel, a drug commonly used in the treatment of ovarian, metastatic breast, and advanced non-small-cell lung cancers, and in treating squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. “Paclitaxel presents high response rates for the treatment of these diseases, but its toxic side effects and poor solubility are major obstacles that need to be addressed and improved,” Sassano said. “My research focuses on the identification of a high-affinity aptamer that … Read more
Graduate Students Win AAPS Award
August 21, 2006Maciej Zamek-Gliszczynski and Cory Kalvass, graduate students in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics, have received the 2006 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Drug Metabolism Award. PPDM recognizes individuals who have significantly contributed to the promotion and dissemination of PPDM principles through exemplary and sustained activities in the achievement of PPDM goals.
Jian Liu Promoted to Associate Professor
August 8, 2006Jian Liu, PhD, who joined the Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products in 2000, has been promoted to associate professor with tenure. Liu’s research interests are centered in glycobiology, an area of science that holds tremendous significance for medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Liu and his group’s work on the synthesis of polysaccharides has recently led to the successful production of a synthetic form of heparin. Liu believes that the chemical synthesis of polysaccharides will play a significant role in drug development in the future, particularly in the treatment of herpes, cancer, and bacterial infection, and he hopes his method will accelerate … Read more
Olson Named GSK Fellow
August 1, 2006Emily Olson, a graduate student in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics, has been awarded the 2006-2007 GlaxoSmithKline Fellowship. “The Graduate Student Organization and the graduate education committee have made an excellent choice by selecting Emily for the 2006-2007 GSK fellowship,” said Dhiren Thakker, associate dean of research and graduate education. “Their choice was based on Emily’s leadership and her many contributions to the graduate program at the School of Pharmacy in her role as the president of the GSO. Emily was an excellent spokesperson for students on the strategic planning committee, and contributed in a very meaningful way to the development of the strategic plan for the School. Clearly, … Read more