Neuropathic pain is characterized by sensations of burning, numbness, and tingling. It is a debilitating disorder and difficult to treat. Drugs such as opioid painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents that are effective in treating inflammatory and acute pain are not effective in treating neuropathic pain. Most of the 26 million people affected worldwide are not treated adequately or successfully and the cost in lost productivity exceeds $100 billion annually. The need for new medicines is therefore clear and substantial.
This is highly interactive Executive Briefing, will explore some of the challenges associated with the discovery and development of new medicines to treat neuropathic pain. It provides an opportunity to consult with the experts and to brainstorm ideas relevant to the R&D activities of your own organisation. It will be most beneficial to those willing to engage in meaningful discussions and provides an ‘open space’ to explore ideas, targets and strategies. The major topics for expert discussion will include establishing optimal CNS exposure, CNS drug delivery and the predictive validity of experimental models of neuropathic pain.
About the Workshop Leaders
Dr. Alan Palmer
Dr. Alan Palmer is Co-founder and Chairman of Pharmidex. He has many years of pharmaceutical industry experience in drug discovery, corporate partnering and commercialisation. He is also an experienced entrepreneur; having co-founded Cerebrus (the UK’s first neuroscience startup company) which grew to be one of Europe’s largest privately funded biotechnology companies (Cerebrus was acquired by Vanguard Medica in December 1999). Prior to Vernalis/Cerebrus, Dr Palmer held a scientific position in CNS drug discovery at Wyeth Research in the UK and before that he was a faculty member in the Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was an active member of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centre and co-founder of the University of Pittsburgh Head Injury Research Centre.
Dr. Mohammad S. Alavijeh
Dr. Mohammad S. Alavijeh is Co-founder and Managing Director of Pharmidex. He has many years of experience at both academia and pharmaceutical industry covering R&D, strategic alliances and business development, most recently, as head of drug metabolism, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (DMPK/PD) at Vernalis Research. Prior to Vernalis, Dr Alavijeh held DMPK team leader position at Aventis Pharma in the UK and before that he held a scientific position within the Clinical Neurology Department at the Institute of Neurology, University College London. During his 15 years in the pharmaceutical industry and academia Dr Alavijeh has worked in most therapeutic areas, notably CNS, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, infection, cancer and inflammation (asthma and arthritis). Dr Alavijeh has extensive experience of drug discovery and has made significant contribution to the development of drugs and drug candidates targeting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer, obesity and Parkinson’s disease. Dr Alavijeh is a leading authority on the CNS DMPK, with a particular emphasis on neuropharmacokinetics.
About Pharmidex
Headquartered in London, Pharmidex focuses on the prediction and assessment of the ability of potential new medicines to cross the permeability barrier between blood and brain – the blood-brain barrier (BBB). With unique offerings, such as NeuroPK®, we add value by accelerating time to market and improving the probability of success. In collaboration with Genzyme Pharmaceuticals, we also offer CERENSESM - a breakthrough in the delivery and assessment of new CNS medicines. It can help realise the full value of all potential CNS medicines whose utility is constrained by poor BBB permeation.