Speakers Set for Chapel Hill Drug Conference: Nanotech Is the Topic

Application of nanotechnology to cancer, siRNA delivery, infectious diseases and vaccines, imaging and diagnostics, as well as nanomaterials engineering, nanotoxicology, and regulatory considerations in obtaining FDA-approved nano-based products will be the topics of this year’s Chapel Hill Drug Conference at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The conference, titled “The Use of Nanotechnology to Create Safe and Effective Therapeutic and Diagnostic Products,” will be hosted on campus by the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and held in Kerr Hall on May 13 and 14.

Nanotechnology is the control and manipulation of structures at the atomic and molecular level, generally those smaller than 100 nanometers in size. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter.

“The last ten years have seen a growing recognition of the pharmaceutical potential of nanotechnology and an increasing ability to turn that promise into reality,” said Russell Mumper, PhD, director of the UNC Center for Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery. “However, for nanotechnology to be successfully applied to pharmaceutics, the products must be safe and efficacious, cost effective, and able to be mass manufactured.”

Conference attendees will focus on identifying the opportunities and challenges of bringing cutting-edge nanotechnology from discovery, preclinical evaluation, into human clinical studies, and beyond.

“This conference is bringing together leaders in the nanomedicine field from across the nation to North Carolina,” said Bob Blouin, dean of the pharmacy school. “It is a rare opportunity that allows scientists from industry, government and academia to learn from each other in a collegial and informal setting.”

Speakers confirmed for the conference are

• Naomi Halas, PhD, professor of chemistry and bioengineering and Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University;
• Lawrence Tamarkin, PhD, CEO and founder, CytImmune Sciences, Inc;
• Pieter Cullis, PhD, founding scientific director, Centre for Drug Research and Development, The University of British Columbia;
• Jon Wolff, MD, vice president, Roche Madison;
• Manmohan Singh, PhD, head (U.S.) for vaccine delivery and formulation research, Novartis Vaccines;
• Terry Matsunaga, PharmD, PhD, research professor of radiology, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center;
• Wenbin Lin, PhD, professor of chemistry and pharmacy, UNC-Chapel Hill;
• Patrick Stayton, PhD, professor of bioengineering, University of Washington;
• Sally Tinkle, PhD, senior science adviser, office of the acting director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH;
• Andrew Loxley, PhD, director of new technologies, Particle Sciences, Inc.; and
• Bill Zamboni, PharmD, PhD, associate professor and director of the GLP Analytical Facility, UNC-Chapel Hill.

Registration is limited to 150 attendees, so please register early. Limited seating is still available. AstraZeneca, Liquidia Technologies, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and Particle Sciences, Inc. have generously provided financial support to make this conference possible.

For registration and more information, call 919-843-6142.