First-of-its-kind conference fosters collaboration to advance drug development

A first-of-its-kind conference led by Reina Bendayan, a professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, brought together two international societies to advance therapeutics that can be delivered to the brain. The meeting included experts in basic and translational research to foster new collaborations and brainstorm solutions to the field’s current challenges.

Members of the International Brain Barriers Society (IBBS) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) from academia, government and industry attended the conference. Bendayan and her co-chairs, Robert Thorne from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Denali Therapeutics, as well as Per-Ola Freskgard from Roche’s Innovation Centre in Basel, Switzerland, created a program that addressed new research in the physiology of brain barriers, as well as strategies and approaches in drug discovery and development for targeting brain disorders.

“Developing and targeting therapeutic drugs that can cross the blood-brain barrier present major challenges,” says Bendayan. “It’s very relevant for these two societies – which often focus on different types of research questions – to work together to address these challenges.”

Nearly 200 participants attended the conference, which took place in late April close to Washington, DC, and the poster sessions were at capacity. Bendayan says she was happy with the attendance and success of the meeting, and she hopes that it will become a regular joint event. She also noted the support of the Faculty, which offered complimentary registration and travel support for several trainees.

“I’ve been involved in this research for a number of years, and it was wonderful to see the interest in this highly specific field,” she says.