Archived Content
Friday, May 23
7:30 Breakfast Session with Panel Discussion: Current Trends in Crystallization and Polymorphism: Experiment and Prediction
7:30 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks: Property-Based Drug Design: Crystal Engineering and Polymorphism
Terry Richard Stouch, Ph.D., President, Science for Solutions, LLC
7:35 Crystal Engineering Approaches to Improve the Biopharmaceutical Properties of Materials
Denette Murphy, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Drug Product Science and Technology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.
7:55 Solid-State Form Screening in Drug Development: Challenges and Opportunities
Sarah L. Price, Ph.D., Professor of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London
Susan M. Reutzel-Edens, Ph.D., Senior Research Advisor, Small Molecule Design & Development, Eli Lilly and Company
8:25 Closing Remarks: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?
Harvey Lieberman, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Analytical Research & Development, Sanofi
8:30 Q&A Panel: Participants- All Speakers
8:45 End of Breakfast Session
8:45 FEATURED PRESENTATION: Understanding Solid State Structure and Properties that Underpin Developability
Sarah L. Price, Ph.D., Professor of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University College London
The drug product often contains a crystalline form of the drug molecule, and when the drug is delivered in another phase, crystallization has to be avoided. Although we do not yet understand all the factors which determine the outcome of crystallisation processes, current computational methods of searching for the thermodynamically feasible structures can already provide a useful complement to polymorph screening, providing insight into the possible complexities of the solid state.
9:15 The Potency-Insolubility Conundrum in Drug Discovery: Mechanism and Solution
Patrick R. Connelly, Ph.D., Principal Scientific Fellow, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
The potency-insolubility conundrum has led to innumerable failed drug discovery efforts. By examination of the high resolution structural and high precision thermodynamic properties of telaprevir, it is revealed that potency and insolubility share a common origin. The work is explored in the broader context of a new strategy for drug discovery and pharmaceutical development termed Translational Drug Development. Applications of materials chemistry to overcome the potency-insolubility conundrum in the development of recently approved drugs for hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis are presented.
9:45 Optimizing Solid-State Properties for Development
Harvey Lieberman, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Analytical Research & Development, Sanofi
Discovery programs generally concentrate on producing drug candidates with suitable potency, selectivity and ADME properties, and aspects of the solid-state are dealt with once the molecule has entered Development. Physicochemical properties of the solid-state can impact solubility, stability and processability leading to increased costs and timelines. The aim of this presentation is to highlight features that may be assessed at a stage of late Discovery or early Development in order to mitigate the risk.
10:15 Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
11:00 Use of Prodrugs to Advance Promising Molecules into Development
Rebecca Nofsinger, Ph.D., Senior Research Pharmacist, Biopharmaceutics Group, Merck & Co., Inc
Prodrugs can be considered a way to optimize the biopharmaceutical properties of a drug molecule. An ideal prodrug is not active and is efficiently converted to the active molecule, via an in vivo chemical or enzymatic transformation, ultimately enabling delivery of the active molecule at efficacious levels without adverse effects. General prodrug strategy will be outlined and a case study highlighting prodrugs made to enhance the colonic absorption of a promising compound will be presented.
11:30 Exploiting Drug Solution Properties to Improve Discovery and Development Processes –Importance of Aggregation, Solubility, Atropisomerism and Bioactive Conformations
Steven LaPlante, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS) University; Founder & CEO, NMX Research & Solutions
The behavior of drugs in solution impacts all levels of drug discovery and development. Revealing the various types of behaviors is a key step toward significantly improving drug discovery processes such as screening, triaging, lead optimization and development. Knowledge of these phenomena should help to minimize the costly advancement of promiscuous and unstable drug candidates. Examples to be discussed include the wide-spread phenomenon of drug aggregation and the equilibrium with soluble free-molecules. Other examples address free-state bioactive conformation and conformation-based atropisomer chiraility.
12:00 pm Luncheon Presentation (Sponsor Opportunity Available) or Lunch on Your Own
12:30 Session Break
12:55 Chairperson’s Remarks
Jan Wahlstrom, Ph.D., Director, Pharmacokinetics & Drug Metabolism, Amgen, Inc.
1:00 FEATURED PRESENTATION: Predicting Pharmacokinetics through the Integration of Physicochemical Properties and Physiologically-Based Modeling
Jan Wahlstrom, Ph.D., Director, Pharmacokinetics & Drug Metabolism, Amgen, Inc.
Physicochemical properties and early ADME assays guide chemotype evaluation and rational scaffold alteration. This presentation will focus on the integration of these approaches with physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling (PBPK) to enable the prediction of clinical outcomes and to optimize selection of development candidates.
1:25 Between a Rock And a Hard Place – Balancing Permeability & Solubility Characteristics to Identify Clinical Candidates
Darren McKerrecher, Ph.D., Associate Director, Medicinal Chemistry, Oncology iMED, AstraZeneca
The talk will review examples of strategies to use property-based design to optimise pharmacokinetic properties of lead candidates by balancing absorption and solubility profiles. Particular attention will be paid to strategies to control lipophilicity, to disrupt crystal packing to improve solubility, and to control of hydrogen bond donor count to improve permeability.
1:50 Deuterium in Drugs: Complexity in Pharmacokinetic Application
Alfin D.N. Vaz, Associate Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacokinetics, Dynamics and Metabolism, Pfizer, Inc.
Targeted substitution of hydrogen by deuterium in drug structures has the potential to alter drug pharmacokinetics. For any drug, the process requires a clear understanding of its systemic clearance mechanism, its metabolite profile, the enzymes and their reaction mechanisms involved in the primary metabolic clearance event, and species differences in systemic clearance. Examples will be discussed where cytochromes P450, monoamine oxidases, and aldehyde oxidases, play substantial roles in metabolism.
2:15 Practical Permeability Based Hepatic Clearance Classification to Simplify Complex Permeability, Transporter and Metabolism Interplay in Drug Discovery
Peter Fan, Ph.D., Scientist, DMPK, Genentech, Inc.
We have developed a systematic approach in the form of a decision tree to help drug discovery scientists understand in vitro-in vivo clearance prediction disconnect by incorporating apparent permeability data generated from Mardin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells and hepatocyte uptake data for new chemical entities. A new classification system is also introduced that can categorize and simplify the complex permeability, transport and metabolism interplay in the liver.
2:35 Beyond Red, Yellow and Green: Optimizing Drug Developability Using Model-Based Methods in Discovery
Arijit Chakravarty, Ph.D., Senior Scientist II, Modeling and Simulation, DMPK, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Developability issues frequently derail drug development. A common approach to lead optimization is to improve physicochemical parameters (such as aqueous solubility or lipophilicity) individually, using arbitrary cut-off values. In my presentation, I discuss the limitations of this approach, and present integrated in vitro/in vivo/in silico approaches to integrate physicochemical parameters to provide a ‘look ahead’ at the net impact of chemical modifications on overall bioavailability, and to provide a way to proactively manage dose burden.
3:00 End of Conference