Better by design

Report: Shaunnagh O'Loughlin

The Victorian College of Pharmacy at Monash University is taking a new approach to training and research in the pharmaceutical sciences - the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS).

From left: Associate Professor Susan Charman, Director, Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation; Professor Peter Scammells, Medicinal Chemistry: Professor Bill Charman, Dean and Director, Victoria College of Pharmacy; Professor Colin Pouton, Pharmaceutical Biology; Associate Professor Pharmaceutics, Chris Porter, Associate Dean (Research)

For Dean of Pharmacy and MIPS Director Professor Bill Charman the key ingredient to success in pharmaceutical science is people: the quality of their thinking and the collaboration between researchers in complementary fields.

He's championed a new structure he hopes will bring out their best, uniting once functionally separate research teams and expertise to create the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) which aims to take a leading role in drug discovery and development, pharmaceutical research and the training of Australia 's next generation of pharmaceutical scientists.

"The MIPS structure has been carefully designed to leverage our existing capabilities and resources and to aggregate Australia 's leading pharmaceutical scientists," Professor Charman said.

"This will provide the critical mass to undertake new, high impact basic research and enable the translation of drug discoveries through the early stages of preclinical development.

"This is all about people working together more efficiently and for higher-level outcomes.

"Our focus in MIPS will be about collaboration, innovation and impact" and the MIPS mission is well described by its tag line "Better Medicines By Design".

MIPS research activities have been built around three key discipline-based themes: Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Action, Drug Candidate Optimisation and Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics.

An important fourth theme, Drug Discovery Biology, will be introduced in early 2009 when a leading research group of biologists will join MIPS from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in a joint inter-faculty initiative.

The major areas of therapeutic focus within MIPS will be infectious disease (anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-parasitic), cancer, neurosciences and others.

"Initially, MIPS brings together 40 academic staff, 80 postgraduate and 40 post doctorate researchers to create the largest and most integrated pharmaceutical science research institute in Australia," Professor Charman said.

He cites USA Food and Drug Administration observations that applied sciences required to ‘translate' drug discoveries into effective medicines have not kept pace with the tremendous advances in the basic sciences. As a result, the majority of candidate drugs can fail during development and many development programs are abandoned after enormous investments of time and resources.

"A specific MIPS focus will be to incubate skills, technology platforms and resources in this area," Professor Charman said.

"There will be a greater sharing of ideas and research theories, maximising the opportunity for collaborative partnerships across the University and with external partners," Professor Charman said.

"Our programs and structure will provide outstanding opportunities for postgraduate and postdoctoral pharmaceutical scientists, which will be unmatched elsewhere in Australia .

"We believe that MIPS is the future of pharmaceutical sciences in Australia - and an important model internationally for collaborative, inter-disciplinary research."

Visit the Victorian College of Pharmacy website.