27 September 2006
The most important health issues facing the community will be discussed over the month of October in a public lecture series to celebrate the Victorian College of Pharmacy's (VCP) 125th anniversary.
Current and former staff of the college will present the lectures on important community health issues such as bird flu, malaria, prostate conditions, drug discovery, medication use and safety, and the future of medicines.
Admission to the public lectures is free, but interested persons must register their attendance.
The lecture program is:
Tuesday 3 October
Pacemaker cells in the prostate gland by Dr Betty Exintaris, lecturer in Pharmaceutical Biology, VCP
This presentation will include an overview of the functions of the male reproductive system with an emphasis on the prostate gland. Common medical conditions that affect the prostate will be considered, especially benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement of the prostate) and its impact on the urinary system. Diagnosis and current treatments of this condition will be discussed. Finally, new developments in prostate research will be considered, such as the novel idea that there are pacemaker cells in the prostate gland.
Tuesday 10 October
Medicines - friend or foe? by Professor Michael Dooley, Department of Pharmacy Practice, VCP
There are more than 2000 different medications that can be prescribed in Australia. In addition, each year approximately 200 new medicines become available. The challenge is to maximise the benefits of these medicines whilst minimising the potential for allergies, side effects and adverse drug reactions. This presentation will highlight these issues and the strategies in place to make sure that the best possible benefits of medication use can be realised.
Tuesday 17 October
Tackling pandemic influenza - new solutions to an age old problem by Professor Mark von Itzstein, Director of the Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University and co-developer of anti-flu drug Relenza.
Influenza virus has been a significant human pathogen for time immemorial. The continual emergence of new strains of this virus, particularly out of Asia, presents an on-going threat to mankind. While many countries have put in place 'preparedness plans' to defend against such threats the need for the development of 'first-line-of-defence' anti-influenza drugs remains a high priority, particularly as the influenza virus can develop resistance to therapeutics.
Tuesday 24 October
Public/private partnerships - a new drug discovery model for malaria and other neglected diseases, by Professor Bill Charman, Director of the Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation, Monash University
The recent presence and involvement of public-private partnerships as a vehicle for funding and undertaking drug discovery and development for new anti-malarial drugs has been a particularly welcome and successful initiative. This presentation will describe aspects of the design and discovery of a design of a synthetic, orally available peroxide antimalarial that is currently undergoing Phase 2 clinical trials.
Tuesday 31 October
Medicines of the future - what's around the corner? by Professor Peter Stewart, head, Department of Pharmaceutics, Monash University
Most of us are used to taking drugs orally as tablets, capsules and mixtures. However, this is not always the best approach for drug delivery to the body and, in recent years, other routes of delivery have been used. 2006 is the 50th anniversary of the use of the metered dose inhaler in the treatment of asthma. It is also the first year that inhalation products have been registered to deliver insulin to patients for the treatment of diabetes. Using respiratory delivery as an example, this presentation will examine the lessons that can be learned from the development of respiratory delivery systems during the past 50 years and look at some of the advances in delivery that might be achieved in the future.
To register for any of these lectures visit the Victorian College of Pharmacy website or telephone 03 9903 9635.
All lectures will be held from 6.30pm to 8pm at the Victorian College of Pharmacy, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville
For further information contact Penny Fannin, Media Communications, on +61 3 9905 5828 or 0417 125 700.
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