ApconiX is delighted to welcome Dr Karin Burnett, an experienced project toxicologist with a broad knowledge of toxicology and chemical risk assessment in the pharmaceutical industry. Karin will join the team of experts in nonclinical safety toxicology at ApconiX, who cover all major safety disciplines and are committed to advancing the science of drug safety. Karin [...]
ApconiX is delighted to welcome Phumzile Sikakana who joins us straight from University. Phum, an enthusiastic new masters graduate will work with our team of experienced scientists on a variety of projects, including target safety reviews and in the ion channel screening laboratory, helping our clients make better decisions on drug safety. Phum studied Biomedical [...]
Irrespective of what we call them, target safety reports form a key part of risk assessment and risk mitigation plans in drug discovery and development. Why is that? Well, target-related toxicity accounts for >50% of all drug project failures (Cook et al., 2014) so it’s vital to understand the potential unintended consequences of target modulation. [...]
Abstract: How can small-to-medium pharma and biotech companies enhance the chances of running a successful drug project and maximise the return on a limited number of assets? Having a full appreciation of the safety risks associated with proposed drug targets is a crucial element in understanding the unwanted side-effects that might stop a project in [...]
ApconiX is delighted to welcome Dr Jane Barber who joins us from AstraZeneca. Jane, a dedicated drug discovery research scientist will work with the team of experts in nonclinical safety toxicology at ApconiX. Jane graduated from the University of Keele with a degree in Biology and Classical studies. After researching Molecular Parasitology and Vector Biology, [...]
Did you know that safety issues remain one of the main reason why drug projects fail? Multiple publications over recent years have continued to highlight non-clinical safety/toxicity as the most frequent reason for project failure in drug development. For example, in a study of 605 projects from GSK, AstraZeneca, Ely Lilly and Pfizer, nonclinical toxicology [...]
This poster, presented at the Gordon Research Conference in August 2017, concluded that: Target safety assessments: Provide expert assessment and interpretation of literature and available databases and are invaluable in identifying and avoiding target-related risks Inform target selection and/or prioritisation early in discovery Should contain the level of detail appropriate to the project stage Should [...]
Target Safety Assessment: Strategies and Resources, Chapter 12 of Drug Safety Evaluation Methods in Molecular Biology (vol 1641), was written by Dr Richard J Brennan, a Scientific Advisor at Sanofi in the United States. The chapter presents a summary of the information types and sources that should be investigated, and approaches that can be taken [...]
