John Streicher presents research from UNE’s drug discovery and screening program at Academic Drug Discovery Consortium

John Streicher, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences, presented research from UNE’s drug discovery and screening program at the Academic Drug Discovery Consortium annual meeting, which was held October 9-11, 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee.

The poster presentation, titled “Drug Discovery at the University of New England: Identifying New Drugs for the Treatment of Chronic Pain,” showcased research from the drug discovery pipeline that is being developed at UNE.

Under the leadership of the Office of Research and Scholarship, headed by Vice-President for Research and Director of the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., and by the Center of Biomedical Research and Excellence (COBRE) program, headed by Ian Meng, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences,  this pipeline is being developed to discover new drugs for the treatment of chronic pain and other diseases from the earliest chemistry to final clinical testing in human patients.

The research highlighted at this conference includes medicinal chemistry from Cassia Mizuno, Ph.D., assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy; in vitro drug screening from Streicher and his In Vitro Drug Discovery Core; in vivo behavioral testing from Bilsky and the COBRE Behavioral Core; and pharmacokinetics/drug metabolism work from Karen Houseknecht, Ph.D., professor in the College of Pharmacy.

The presentation, therefore, demonstrated UNE’s drug discovery capabilities and the progress of several drug discovery projects that seek to discover new drugs for chronic pain. The presentation also showcased UNE’s capabilities for potential academic or industrial researchers who are interested in collaboration or contract research work.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.