Under the title “The long way of drug development”, he described the opportunities and difficulties of modern drug research. With his experience in both industrial and academic research, Prof. Wess addressed the bigger picture of translation in front of numerous interested listeners. In addition to best-practice examples, such as the Removab antibody that was developed at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, the scientific director also mentioned important political milestones in the distant and more recent past, such as the Cancer Moonshot which started in the USA in 2016.
Each talk in the new fomat is based on a 45-minute presentation. This is followed by an informal exchange accompanied by “Beer & Brezn” and the opportunity for discussions and networking. The talks are targeted at scientists at all levels.
“The seminars are intended to give an overview of the topic 'translational medicine’”, explains HELENA director Dr. Monika Beer. This comprises the mechanisms of individual diseases, the survey of epidemiologic facts, and also the search for biomarkers and the development of new treatments and medicines.
Numerous aspects of research in the life sciences are covered. For example, ethical issues are also discussed, along with good manufacturing practice and the transferability of insights from mouse studies to humans. Of course, data handling and the transfer to hospitals or industry also play a role.
The seminar series is supported by the Lung Research School (CPC), Radiation Research School (RS2) and the Unit for Translational and Clinical Projects (TKP).
For further details and planned dates for translational medicine lectures please click here.