“It is hard to imagine anything as exciting as the prospect for new treatments, especially for a condition currently lacking an effective remedy,” said CCTS Director Dr. Robert P. Kimberly, in his welcoming remarks at the 2016 Drug Discovery and Development Colloquium. The event, held at the UAB Hill Student Center, was co-organized by graduate students from UAB and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

Setting the stage for attendees, he noted “Drugs, new and old, are very much in the news—from the need for new-antivirals to stop the spread of Zika to pricing controversies and patent extensions. Drugs and their development is central to our medical culture and our delivery of health care, which is a key reason the CCTS supports ‘productive collisions’ that facilitate identification of new therapeutic targets.” Kimberly emphasized the importance of using “state of the art methodology” in drug development, as well as the need for effective project management skills. “To find truly effective and promising medications, researchers must first learn to ask the right questions and set up the right experiments to minimize what can be a long and difficult process.” He encouraged attendees to take advantage of the expertise offered at CCTS, “with its team of experts who are deeply committed to helping you ‘sharpen your science.’”

Attendees enjoyed a rich day of networking and collaboration with trainees and scientists from many different disciplines and institutions. Keynote presentations featured speakers experienced in all aspects of drug discovery, including Drs. George Painter and Dennis Liotta from Emory Institute for Drug Development, who described the “trials and tribulations” of getting the anti-HIV drug Emtricitabine from concept to market. Other speakers included Dr. Monica Guzman, Weill Medical College of Cornell University; Dr. Jennifer Wylie, Merck; Drs. Joanne Murphy-Ullrich and Ed Acosta, UAB; Dr. Peter Cook, UAMS; Dr. Darin Jones, University of Arkansas Little Rock; Dr. Shradda Thakkar, National Center for Toxicological Research, FDA; and Dr. Randall Moreadith, Serina Therapeutics. Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance Associate Director Dr. Maaike Everts served on the colloquium’s career panel.

In addition to presentations, the colloquium featured both an oral presentation and poster competition. Congratulations to the winners, who are listed below:

Posters (voted on by anyone in attendance):

1. Andrew Janssen, UAB
2. Cameron Crawford, UAB
3. Ujwani Nukala, UAMS

Oral (judged by five senior scientists present):

1. Jeffrey McDonald, UAB
2. Bhavitavya Nijampatnam, UAB
3. Tie: Amanda Debrot, UAB and Jyoti Sharma, UAMS