26 minute film Safer Medicines showcases state-of-the-art approaches to ensuring that drugs in the future will be safer than they have been in the past. World leading scientists from industry and academia present their vision for the future of drug development – with a focus on human biology.
Mat Fraser, actor and Thalidomider, argues powerfully that better means to assess drug safety are needed. Tony Benn shows that the case for a scientific evaluation of animal tests for drug safety is unarguable and should be a priority. Randal Charlton, founder of Asterand, the world’s leading human tissue company and Dr Bob Coleman, Senior Scientific Consultant to Asterand, explain how crucial it is to focus on human tissue in drug discovery and development. Dr Greg Baxter, co-founder of Hurel Corporation, introduces the exciting concept of microfluidics. Dr Quin Wills, co-founder of SimuGen, explains what can be achieved with DNA chips in conjunction with advanced mathematical models of how human genes respond to drugs. Professor Denis Noble of Oxford University and a key founder of the Physiome project shows the value of virtual organs such as the virtual heart. Professor Colin Garner of York University and founder of Xceleron describes how microdosing offers a revolutionary approach to drug testing. |