Guest speakers to ribbon Pharmacy Research Day
Two prominent guest speakers will add flare to the second annual Pharmacy Research Day, part of the School of Pharmacy’s Pharmacist Awareness Month (PAM) activities.
Dr. Jeremy Desai, CEO of Apotex, will present, “Biosimilars – The Time Has Arrived”. The presentation will discuss what a biosimilar is and how it is made, the current pharmaceuticals landscape and global development and challenges.
He will enlighten on the benefits of biosimilars, including reduced costs, improved accessibility which could provide further funding for other much-needed therapies, and how biologics have revolutionized treatment for many serious conditions.
Dr. Desai is originally from London, England and has spent over 30 years in progressively senior roles in the pharmaceutical industry. He was appointed CEO of Apotex in 2014 after acting as Global Head of Research and Development with the company since 2003.
Dr. John Shacka of the University of Alabama-Birmingham will present, “Targeting the Autophagy-Lyosome Pathway for Nerodegenerative Disease”. The discussion will provide an introduction to Parkinson’s disease, explore the role of the autophagy-lysosome pathway in Parkinson’s disease and include a major focus on a specific lysosomal enzyme, alpha-Galactosidase, and its putative role as a therapeutic target in Parkinson’s disease.
His laboratory investigates the autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP) in neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease and HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), and in the lysosomal storage disorder Fabry disease. Not only are we interested in delineating how ALP dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases, but also how the ALP may be targeted as a source for disease-specific biomarkers and therapeutics development. Our research program includes preclinical (cell culture, mouse) studies in addition to translational studies with human specimens.