UK NORDIC BALTIC SUMMIT: 19-20 JANUARY 2011 ESTONIA
DENMARK
ICELAND
FINLAND
LATVIA
UNITED KINGDOM
NORWAY
LITHUANIA
SWEDEN
THEME:
[Green Economy/Sustainable Business]
TITLE OF PRESENTATION: Synergy of IT and Life Sciences in testing for new medical treatments and control of chemical environment
Synopsis:
As foreseen in regulations including REACH, more attention will be paid to identification of the properties of chemical substances and their influence on human health and the environment. Savings in time, money and animal tests are possible via computational prediction of chemical compounds and materials with predetermined properties. Example of Molcode, Ltd.
Presenter: Mati Karelson, Member of Estonian Academy of Sciences, Research and Science Advisor to the Estonian Prime Minister
Short Biography:
Professor at the University of Tartu and Tallinn University of Technology, one of the most cited Estonian scientists, he has published over 190 scientific articles, monographs and monographic reviews, several patent inventions, member of Estonian R&D Council. His work is currently used in several innovative biotech and information technology companies.
CHALLENGES ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND HEALTH
It has been estimated that the REACH legislation alone could lead to a demand for up to 45 million laboratory animals in next 15 years
high cost time-consuming relevance to human organism ethical problems
ALTERNATIVES ?
MOLCODE, Ltd. Computational prediction of chemical compounds and materials with predetermined properties (QSARSOFT WizardŠ) A combination of information technology with advancements in life sciences
ENGINES (IT)
DATA (LS)
ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL TESTS Molcode provides alternative computational data for most properties required by REACH legislation, allowing huge savings in terms of time, money and lives (the first in the world market). Computational models validated and approved by EU Joint Research Centre.
CHALLENGES LIFE QUALITY OF AGING POPULATION Almost 1 in 5 adults in Europe suffers from long-term pain – at least 75 million people
20 1
0
Expenditures ($billion)
Source: Pain in Europe Study, 2003
The treatment of neurodegenerative diseases costs annually European health services approximately €72 billion. Source: IP/10/431, Brussels, 15th April 2010
Existing treatments are limited, and mainly treat the symptoms, rather than addressing the cause.
Sources: Tufts CSDD 2006 Outlook Report, PhRMA, ww.fda.gov
SOLUTIONS ?
NEW THERAPIES FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES MIMETICS OF NEUROTROPHIC FACTORS In vivo proof-of-principle of GDNF mimetics against Parkinson’s disease (6-OHDA rat model)
Drug-4 and Drug-16 are acting as efficiently or better than GDNF itself