Our DNDi Latin America team and the Prof. Luiz Carlos Dias (UNICAMP) are organizing a two-day scientific event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our Lead Optimization Latin American (LOLA) consortium. Entitled ‘Advancing Neglected Diseases Drug Discovery in Endemic Areas‘, the symposium will be held in person in Campinas/Brazil combined with live streaming.
The event will bring together international experts from academia, research institutes, and pharmaceutical companies to share knowledge and exchange ideas on drug discovery, with a special focus on infectious and neglected diseases that affect patients in Latin America. We hope it will contribute to the debate around the opportunities and challenges associated with the development of strategic medicines in endemic areas, while facilitating sharing of knowledge, promoting collaboration and innovation, enhancing capabilities, and creating opportunities for partnerships between academia and industry.
Agenda
19 October 2023
Opening ceremony
Time: 8:30 – 9:15
Speakers:
- Luiz Carlos Dias, Full Professor, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
- Sergio Sosa-Estani, Latin America Director, DNDi
Session 1: LOLA 10 years: DNDi drug discovery in endemic areas
Time: 9:15 – 11:00
Chair: Charles Mowbray, Discovery Director, DNDi
| Setting the scene – Science and public health challenges in Latin America Helena Nader, President, Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Brazil |
| Introduction to drug discovery and DNDi LOLA consortium Jadel Kratz, Head of Discovery and R&D Partnership, Latin America, DNDi |
| Testimonials of principal investigators LOLA Luiz Carlos Dias, Full Professor, Universidade Estadual de Campinas Adriano Andricopulo, Researcher, University of São Paulo Carolina Borsoi Moraes, Associate Researcher, University of São Paulo |
| Testimonials early-career investigators LOLA Rafael Ferreira, Lead Applications Scientist, Croda María Mollo, Assistant Researcher, CONICET |
| Launch “Open OpenCHAGAS” project Luiza Cruz, Drug Discovery Coordinator, DNDi |
Session 2: DMPK integration within drug discovery and development
Time: 11:30 – 13:00
Chair: Lidia Lima, Associate Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
| Importance of PK-PD Lori Ferrins, Research Associate Professor, Northeastern University |
| DMPK Considerations in Kinetoplastid Drug Discovery Kevin Read, Professor of Quantitative Pharmacology, Head of DMPK, Drug Discovery Unit, University of Dundee |
| Pharmacometrics in Latin America: barriers, challenges and opportunities Manuel Ibarra, Full Professor, Universidad de la Republica |
| Standardized Translational Platform – Lessons from COVID-19 drug repurposing Peter Sjö, Head of Drug Discovery Programme, DNDi |
Roundtable: Capacity strengthening and sustainable innovation
Time: 14:30 – 16:00
Moderator: Glaucius Oliva, Full Professor, University of São Paulo
| Pioneering World-Class Drug Discovery in Africa Richard Gessner, Research Officer, University of Cape Town |
| Training the new generation of scientists Amauri Jardim de Paula, Coordenador de Pesquisa e Laboratórios, Ilum |
| BNDES’s role in fostering R&D for NTDs Carla Reis, Chefe do Departamento do Complexo Industrial e de Servicos de Saúde, BDNES |
| Strengthening and sustainable innovation in Brazil: the FAPESP vision Niels Olsen Câmara, The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) |
| MCTI Strategies for RD&I in Health and Neglected Tropical Diseases Thais Haline Vaz Souza, Science and Technology Analyst, MCTI |
20 October 2023
Session 1: Biodiversity and natural-products inspiration
Time: 9:00 – 10:30
Chair: João Calixto, Director, Centro de Inovação e Ensaios Pré-Clínicos
| The next generation of therapies based on the Brazilian biodiversity: an opportunity for Brazil to position itself as a global player in pharmaceutical innovation Cristiano Guimarães, Co-Founder and CSO, Nintx |
| Fostering natural product drug discovery via strategic partnerships, ethnopharmacology and target-based screening Hatylas de Azevedo, Director, Research, Development, and Innovation, Aché Laboratórios Farmacêuticos |
| Novel therapeutic agents from the bacterial symbionts of Brazilian invertebrates Monica Pupo, Full Professor, Universidade de São Paulo |
| Innovative approaches for natural products to discover new leads for neglected tropical diseases Jean-Robert Ioset, Senior Discovery Manager, DNDi |
Session 2: New technologies and approaches for drug discovery
Time: 11:30 – 13:00
Chair: Maria Cristina Nonato, Full Professor, University of São Paulo
| Harnessing network medicine to discover potential drug targets Helder Nakaya, Senior Researcher, Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein |
| Empowering drug discovery with artificial intelligence: uncovering new candidates for neglected and emerging viral diseases Carolina Horta, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Goiás |
| Centre of Excellence in New Target Discovery: from venom to target validation Aline Lobba, Postdoctoral Researcher, Instituto Butantan |
| PROTACs in parasitic diseases: Dream or reality? Maria Laura Bolognesi, Full Professor, Università di Bologna |
Session 3: Contributions from global pharma to fight against NTDs
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Chair: Katlin Massirer, Principal Investigator at Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, Universidade Estadual de Campinas
| Discovery of a pan-Kinetoplastid proteasome inhibitor – LXE408 Srinivasa Rao, Associate Director, Novartis |
| Flubentylosin – The long road towards treating river blindness Mike Schrimpf, Research Fellow, AbbVie |
| Eurofarma Laboratórios: How a Brazilian pharmaceutical company is investing in drug discovery Carine Drewes, Coordinator of Drug Discovery, Eurofarma Laboratórios |
| Eisai’s ongoing efforts on Tropical Diseases Fabian Gusovsky, Vice President, Global Health Research, Eisai |
| Combination therapy for Chagas disease Maria Marco-Martin, Chief Scientist & GSK Associate Fellow, GSK |
Session 4: Antiviral drug discovery
Time: 14:30 – 16:00
Chair: Jair Siqueira Neto, Associate Adjunct Professor, University of California San Diego
| The COVID Moonshot – Open science discovery of a novel SARS-CoV-2 MPro inhibitor Annette von Delft, Translational Scientist, University of Oxford |
| Dengue Alliance – translational research platform Vivian Costa, Professor, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais |
| From A to MB-905, Brazilian Public-Private partnership on the development of antivirals to fight COVID-19 Thiago Moreno, Research Scientist, Fiocruz |
| CNPEM drug discovery program and innovative approaches for Natural Products Daniela Trivella, Head of Drug Discovery, The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials |
Roundtable: The role of scientific communication
Time: 18:00 – 19:00
Moderator: Flavio Emery, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Heterocyclic Chemistry, University of São Paulo
| Science Vs. Misinformation in Brazil´s Twitter Marina Verjovsky, independent journalist |
| Independent Journalist, Brazil – Neglected Diseases: Giving the silent sickness a louder voice Roxana Tabakman, Independent Journalist |
