In Vitro Drug Safety & BioTechnology

Contact: Dr. Manuela Neuman
Phone: 416-673-6685
E-mail: Manuela.Neuman@utoronto.ca

Vision

To become a leader in the application of immuno-molecular discovery to drug discovery and clinical care.

To advance drug safety and clinical care management in the international community by catalyzing and leading research in immunogenetics and infection disease.

Goals

Catalyze translational research capabilities in Toronto
Establish effective local, national, and international partnerships
Obtain a sustainable funding model
Educate pharmacologists, pharmacists, scientists, naturopaths, clinicians nurses and most importantly the patients in drug safety and drug-drug or drug-herbal interactions
Having an international reputation for excellence and impact in translational medicine to enhance international research and education

The Capability

In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology comprises a network of biochemists, molecular biologists, and cell biologists that are involved in the discovery of specific disease biomarkers ('signatures') and the development of cell-based technology. Our network is linked to clinicians in a variety of public health associated area of studies.

A biomarker is a measurable characteristic in a biological system, which changes due to disease, exposure to chemicals or other factors. This research focuses on finding such biomarkers (in human cells) that are linked with specific diseases, and developing assays or tests that can detect changes in these biomarkers at very low levels.

In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology provides opportunities to investigate the pathogenesis and management of major systemic reactions to drugs, such as non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticonvulsants, and sulfonamides, and to study cytoprotection models that may lead to prevention strategies. We have published first time observations both clinically and in the laboratory. The clinic-lab combination is a special opportunity to link "bench to bedside" science and translational medicine solution using the state of the art technologies.

Throughout our work on the role of the host immune system to fight viral diseases, ways are sought to selectively modulate cytokine environment so that the immunological determinants of viral-host interaction can be understood and the functional consequences of that modulation at the cellular level can be determined.

In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology’s biomarkers and technologies research is developing and validating novel disease biomarkers and designing new methods for their assay. In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology’s internationally recognised expertise and experience covers capabilities in:

Drug-induced hepatocytotoxicity and drug-induced skin toxicity
Viral – host interaction in hepatitis and human immunodeficiency viral infections
Inflammation and repair in liver and gastrointestinal disease
Alcoholic and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
Disease biomarker identification and validation, particularly related to human colorectal cancer, liver and skin cancer
Natural products, complementary and alternative medicine
Cell membrane associated phenomena particularly insulin-like growth factors, cytokines and chemokines and associated receptors
Signalling systems
Normal human cell for modeling diseases and in vitro drug-testing for efficacy and safety of anti-cancer drugs
Monitoring the efficacy and safety of the drugs in clinical trials by monitoring the immune responses to the drug
Nanotechnology

How In Vitro Drug Safety and BioTechnology Uses it

Future diagnostic and drug discovery will depend on the development of higher throughput, higher content, multiple information assay formats which will be integrated with panels of validated, novel biomarkers for early stage disease identification as well as monitoring the severity of the disease in time and the response to therapies.

In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology, in collaboration with clinical associates and commercial partners, is developing these sophisticated systems within its programs to achieve real advances in significant human health and disease areas. In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology's is often sought out by R&D Industry Leaders to ensure the safety their ingredients and aid in the rapid development of products.

In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology's scientists develop and conduct in vitro and alternative toxicology testing assays such as nitric oxide production, melanin transfer, cell proliferation, apoptosis, liver induced toxicity, inflammation and repair, angigenesis/antiangiogenesis, fibrosis in normal human hepatocytes, and non-parenchimal cells, dermal irritation

In Vitro Drug Safety and Biotechnology manages risk pro-actively to

Lower candidate drug attrition
Decrease failure with pharmacodynamic biomarkers
Feed info from clinical trials into discovery phase
Quantitate benefit-risk management
Review case study in drug-redirecting
Gain insights from imaging biomarkers
Select compounds in man
Choose the right tissue model
Predict human sensitivity to a specific drug (drug-induced hypersensitivity reactions)
Develop biomarker assays

International Research Projects http://intlhealth.med.utoronto.ca/

In Vitro Drug Safety & BioTechnology

BROWSE TENANTS