Prof Michael Spedding, PhD, FBPhS,
CEO Spedding Research Solutions SARL,
Secretary General, IUPHAR
Date: Monday, 27 July, 2015
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Venue: MD1-05-03K
Chairperson: A/Prof. Fred Wong
Managing creativity (group and personal) in the pharmaceutical industry in the face of a tsunami of new knowledge.
Michael Spedding has set up 2 research centres, been on the research committees of three pharmaceutical companies, and been responsible for 11 compounds proceeding into clinical trials, while maintaining an academic profile, and is now secretary general of IUPHAR. He will give an account of how to manage personal and group creativity in the face of the tsunami of new knowledge (ncRNAs, splicing, epigenetics, immunopharmacology, brain circuits, the myriad of orphan/rare diseases, new knowledge about recent human evolution) with real examples (painful or successful) relevant for drug discovery. This seminar is primarily intended for students/PhDs/postdocs, but anybody interested in drug discovery may benefit.
About the speaker: Dr. Spedding is chairman of the Nomenclature Committee, International Union of Pharmacology (Tony Harmar runs the IUPHAR database), Director of Spedding Research Solutions SARL (Paris). IUPHAR is classifying all drug targets in the human genome (want to help?). Michael’s main interests are : pharmacology, drug discovery and development (~40 compounds into preclinical research for multiple indications ; 11 compounds into Phase I, one to market; 3 ‘assists’ of marketed drugs); the brain circuits in cognition, stress and psychiatry; and how disease, immunology and inflammation can affect them. He has a research program for ALS. Michael obtained his BSC, PhD and lectured at Sunderland, then 8 years at Merrell Dow research in Strasbourg (calcium channels), then Director of Pharmacology at Syntex, Edinburgh. He set up Servier’s new CNS centre (Paris, later set up a Budapest centre for medchem). ISI Laureate (France), h-index: 54. Set up many research consortia (including IMI). Michael has been a competitive athlete for 50 years (>100,000 kms run) and is interested in how evolution and the trophic/inflammatory interface allows, or stops, such activity. To conteract age-related slowing, he is involved in entry-level car racing (club Lotus).
You must be logged in to post a comment.