From Basic Research to the Clinic
Basic scientific research is essential to enable clinical breakthroughs. I asked undergrad students in my Drug Discovery & Development course (BIOC390AF) in the Biochemistry Program in the Faculty of Science to find examples of curiosity-based research that eventually led to the development of drugs used in the clinic. Students prepared animated videos that illustrate their findings. These animations are meant as an outreach tool to raise awareness among the public and showcase the in-class learning our students undertake.
I am proud of all students for the effort they put into this assignment. Below are some examples of the submissions (anonymized as the class conducts double-blind peer review).
Example 2:
How early research by Giuseppe Brotzu into the mechanism of self-purification of the sea-water led to the discovery of Cephalosporin antibiotics.
Example 3:
Monoclonal Antibodies: From Discovery to Application in Breast Cancer Therapy as Herceptin.
Example 4:
Studying a deep Sea snail toxin led to the development of Prialt, a non-opioid drug approved by the FDA for management of severe chronic pain.
Example 5:
Organic chemistry research resulting in the synthesis of Biguanides led to the discovery of Metformin used for diabetes.
Example 6:
Early research discovering histamine, its receptors & their physiological roles (such as in allergy) led to the development of antihistamine drugs (such as Cimetidine and Diphenhydramine).
Example 7:
The development of rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) was enabled by the discovery of Cluster of differentiation 20 (CD20) B-lymphocyte surface molecule.
Example 8:
Understanding TNF- α Cytokines led to the development of Infliximab that alleviates the symptoms of Autoimmune Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Example 9:
Understanding cholesterol metabolism led to the development of statins such as Lovastatin, which lower cholesterol levels in the body to prevent cardiovascular events.