"Drugging the Undruggable” Symposium Highlights Advances in Treating Cancer, Diabetes and Other Major Diseases

Released on: September 10, 2010, 8:46 am
Author: Global Health Progress
Industry: Healthcare

Scientists from government, industry, and academia presenting at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society released a new report highlighting advances in creating the next generation of medicines for treating cancer, diabetes, and other major diseases. The report, which was featured during the special symposium, "Drugging the Undruggable,” summarized progress in drug development for diseases that were once considered “untouchable.” These treatments specifically targeted conditions where previous efforts to develop a drug therapyhad failed.

However, after decades of a seemingly impossible search, scientists appear to be making a breakthrough in the area of drug development to treat cancers and other diseases. As Science Daily noted in their coverage of the report and symposium, scientists have identified “stapled peptides," a new family of potential drugs capable of blocking a key protein that's involved in the development of cancer.

Global Health Progress (GHP) supports symposium presenters’ statements regarding the importance of these type of drug developments. For instance, Gregory Verdine, a chemical biologist at Harvard University, explained:

"The entire pharmaceutical industry has been working on drug-design platforms that focus on this little sliver of human drug targets and this limits the drug arsenal available to doctors. What's required is an entirely new class of drugs that overcome the shortcomings of drugs of the past." Innovative research and development (R&D) of new drugs is critical in improving overall healthcare, combating epidemics and fighting diseases. Drug development is just one way research-based biopharmaceutical companies serve as active partners in some of the largest and boldest health initiatives that explore new and effective ways to provide treatment, care and education to millions of people both domestically and internationally.

About Global Health Progress:
Global Health Progress provides a platform for companies, governments, public health leaders, universities, foundations, and other stakeholders to share experiences and best practices and to forge new partnerships. Global Health Progress also supports efforts to raise awareness and mobilize resources to address health challenges in the developing world by bringing local leaders together with international health experts, policymakers, donor governments, and the private sector.

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Contact Details: Mark Grayson
(202) 835-3460
MGrayson@phrma.org

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