Ian Gilbert, um descobridor de fármacos, confirma vinda para a 39ª Reunião Anual
Químico medicinal britânico desenvolveu um potencial novo tratamento para malária
Enquanto você estiver lendo este texto, mais de uma criança morrerá, vitimada pela malária, em algum lugar do mundo, mais provavelmente na África. Esta situação, contudo, poderá mudar no médio prazo, em grande parte por conta do trabalho dedicado do professor Ian Gilbert e sua equipe no Drug Development Unit (DDU) da universidade de Dundee, na Escócia. A equipe do Professor Gilbert recentemente teve artigo publicado pela Nature em que anuncia um novo fármaco, com potencial de curar a malária com uma dose única (veja "Artigos Sugeridos", abaixo).
Gilbert: "Universidades, indústria, agências de fomento e outras organizações devem trabalhar juntos no desenvolvimento de fármacos para doenças negligenciadas"
Gilbert será um dos conferencistas da 39ª. Reunião Anual da SBQ, que será realizada em Goiânia, de 30 de maio a 2 de junho de 2016. Seu tema será "Desenho e Síntese de Potenciais Agentes Terapêuticos". "Espero encontrar pessoas, aprender sobre a ciência que está sendo feita no Brasil e desenvolver parcerias", disse o cientista ao Boletim da SBQ.
O novo fármaco, desenvolvido em parceria com a MMV (Medicines for Malaria Venture), não apresenta resistência cruzada com fármacos já disponíveis contra o agente causador da malária, doença que teve perto de 200 milhões de casos em 2013, com 594 mil mortes, sendo 90% na África, segundo o World Malaria Report de 2014.
Além de chefiar o departamento de Química no DDU, Gilbert dirige o Departamento de Bioquímica e Descoberta de Fármacos da Universidade de Dundee. Ele obteve sua graduação em química medicinal e doutorado em Cambridge. Antes do pós-doutoramento em Bioquímica viveu no continente africano e lecionou em Zâmbia. Tem cerca de 160 artigos, 3,3 mil citações e índice h 35.
O professor Ian Gilbert concedeu entrevista ao Boletim da SBQ:
Why is it so important to research new drugs and which are your main challenges concerning neglected diseases?
There is an urgent need for the development of new drugs for the treatment of neglected diseases, for a variety of different reasons. Some of the current medicines available for these diseases are not very effective, some have significant side effects, there is resistance to some and many have to be given by injection or intravenous infusion, which is often not appropriate for rural setting.
There are many challenges in developing new drugs for these diseases. In many cases the biology of the organisms that cause these diseases is not well understood. There is a lack of well-validated drug targets for many neglected diseases. Also in many cases it is not fully understood what properties a drug would need to have to be effective in humans. So there are a lot of unknowns in developing new medicines for these diseases.
How do you describe the distance between your achievements in the lab and people´s daily lives?
I work in the Drug Discovery Unit in Dundee. Here we carry out the early stages of the drug discovery and development process. Our aim is to develop new leads or preclinical candidates. From then on, compounds will need to be partnered with other organisations to take them into clinical trials in patients. It is a long way from the research that we do in early phase drug discovery to having a drug available for patients. However it is very important to understand the needs of patients, when undertaking drug discovery research. So basic scientists need to understand the clinical situation and interact with clinicians and others who work with people affected by these diseases.
How important is it to have university and industry working together to develop new drugs for neglected diseases?
The drug discovery and development process is multidisciplinary and is very complex. It is important to have everyone working together when developing new drugs for neglected diseases. This includes the disease experts who understand the disease and can devise assays and experiments to help in the drug discovery process; people who understand drug discovery and have the capabilities to carry this out; people who can undertake clinical trials; people who understand how to get the final medicines to the people who need them. This means universities, industry, funding agencies, and other organisations need to work together.
Why is important that youth study sciences?
I think that science is fun and there are lots of interesting things to learn and discover. Scientific discoveries have the potential to make a positive difference to people across the globe
Artigos Sugeridos
“A novel multiple-stage antimalarial agent that inhibits protein synthesis”, B. Baragaña, I. Hallyburton, M.C. Lee, N.R. Norcross, R. Grimaldi, T.D. Otto, W.R. Proto, A.M. Blagborough, S. Meister, G. Wirjanata, A. Ruecker, L.M. Upton, T.S. Abraham, M.J. Almeida, A. Pradhan, A. Porzelle, M.S. Martínez, J.M. Bolscher, A. Woodland, S. Norval, F. Zuccotto, J. Thomas, F. Simeons, L. Stojanovski, M. Osuna-Cabello, P.M. Brock, T.S. Churcher, K.A. Sala, S.E. Zakutansky, M.B. Jiménez-Díaz, L.M. Sanz, J. Riley, R. Basak, M. Campbell, V.M. Avery, R.W. Sauerwein, K.J. Dechering, R. Noviyanti, B. Campo, J.A. Frearson, I. Angulo-Barturen, S. Ferrer-Bazaga, F.J. Gamo, P.G. Wyatt, D. Leroy, P. Siegl, M.J. Delves, D.E. Kyle, S. Wittlin, J. Marfurt, R.N. Price, R.E. Sinden, E.A. Winzeler, S.A. Charman, L. Bebrevska, D.W. Gray, S. Campbell, A.H. Fairlamb, P.A. Willis, J.C. Rayner, D.A. Fidock, K.D. Read, I.H. Gilbert, Nature2015, 522, 315-320.
“Discovery of a Novel Class of Orally Active Trypanocidal N-Myristoyltransferase Inhibitors”, S. Brand, L.A.T. Cleghorn, S.P. McElroy, D.A. Robinson, V.C. Smith, I. Hallyburton, J.R. Harrison, N.R. Norcross, S. Norval, S. Spinks, L. Stojanovski, L.S. Torrie, J.A. Frearson, R. Brenk, A.H. Fairlamb, M.A.J. Ferguson, K.D. Read, P.G. Wyatt, I.H. Gilbert, J. Med. Chem.2012, 55, 140-152
“Automated design of ligands to polypharmacological profiles”, J. Besnard, G.F. Ruda, V. Setola, K. Abecassis, R.M. Rodriguiz, X.P. Huang, S. Norval, M.F. Sassano, A.I. Shin, L.A. Webster, F.R. Simeons, L. Stojanovski, A. Prat, N.G. Seidah, D.B. Constam, G.R. Bickerton, K.D. Read, W.C. Wetsel, I.H. Gilbert, B.L. Roth, A.L. Hopkins, Nature2012, 492, 215-220.
“Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Trypanosoma brucei Trypanothione Synthetase Inhibitors”, D. Spinks, L.S. Torrie, S. Thompson, J.R. Harrison, J.A. Frearson, K.D. Read, A.H. Fairlamb, P.G. Wyatt, I.H. Gilbert, ChemMedChem2012, 7, 95-106.
“Deoxyuridine Triphosphate Nucleotidohydrolase as a Potential Antiparasitic Drug Target”, C. Nguyen, G. Kasinathan, I. Leal-Cortijo, A. Musso-Buendia, M. Kaiser, R. Brun, L.M. Ruiz-Pérez, N.G. Johansson, D. González-Pacanowska, I.H. Gilbert, J. Med. Chem.2005, 48, 5942-5954.
