Keywords
Drug safety, safe drug design, personalised medicine,
adverse drug reactions, biomarkers
Expertise
The University’s MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science
is a world-leading centre for the investigation of
fundamental mechanisms of clinically important adverse
drug reactions, particularly those that are idiosyncratic
in nature. The ethos of the Centre is to monitor both the
chemistry of the drug and the biology of the test system
in all experiments. We employ cutting-edge quantitative
bioanalysis and mechanistic biomarkers, underpinned,
where appropriate, with genetic investigations.
In an innovative industry-academia collaboration
with AstraZeneca, new expertise in cardiovascular
toxicity is being developed at the MRC Centre for
Drug Safety Science. An AstraZeneca principal
scientist is seconded to work for one day a week
in Liverpool on the project; the Centre’s principal
investigator has the opportunity to spend time at
AstraZeneca. In this way we facilitate knowledge
exchange and enhance the continuing
professional development (CPD) of academics
and industrial scientists together.
We work closely with the pharmaceutical industry and
with regulatory authorities to define areas of unmet need
and to identify knowledge gaps that can be developed
into pre-competitive collaborations that drive the
science forward.
Training is a key component of the Centre’s activities; we
have active programmes for basic science and clinical
PhDs. Importantly, we also encourage industry sabbati-
cals among our researchers to help maintain dialogue
between research-active industrial and academic
scientists as well as to enhance individual continuing
professional development (CPD) activities.
Together with the Wolfson Centre for Personalised
Medicine, we provide a holistic framework and
substantial expertise for studying adverse drug
reactions from man to molecule and back again.
Our overall aim is to prevent such response through
improved drug selection, drug design and more
informed patient selection.
Capabilities and facilities
•
Quantitative mass spectrometry
•
Mechanistic biomarkers
•
Pharmacogenetics
• ‘
In vitro-in vivo
-
clinical’ triangulation.
Relevant centres and groups
•
MRC Centre for Drug Safety Science
•
Wolfson Centre for Personalised Medicine.
Health & Wellbeing
35
6.
Drug safety and personalised medicine
6.1
Drug safety
APPLICATION AREAS
•
Biotechnology
•
Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
•
Society and community
•
Nanotechnology and advanced materials
Also see:
Health & Wellbeing –
6.2
Personalised medicine, page 37
7.
Clinical trials and evidence
synthesis, page 41
For further information
on all our specialist
centres, facilities and
laboratories
go to page
179
