Inaugural Symposium, UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
January 26, 2010
UCSF Mission Bay Campus, William J. Rutter Conference Center
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Symposium on the Future of Therapeutics Inaugurates New UCSF Department
Kathy Giacomini, PhD
Co-chair, UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
"We're thrilled to launch this new Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. It brings together people in the School of Pharmacy and the School of Medicine interested in developing novel, innovative therapies. The research collaborations are fantastic. It couldn't have happened any other place than UCSF because we're already a very collaborative environment."
Leslie Benet, PhD
Professor, UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
"It's a department that focuses on the science of drug development, combining the engineering aspects with the therapeutic science and the basic understanding of drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, with a unique aspect in terms of what we bring to the drug development process. We have strong interactions with industry because we do the types of work that, in fact, become the rate-limiting step in drug development--moving from the animal to the human, understanding toxicology, understanding how drugs break down."
George Scangos, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer, Exelixis, Inc.
"The collection of technologies here, which is everything from very early aspects of the drug discovery process and translational medicine though novel approaches, I think can help with clinical design, make I think probably this the single most interesting department for collaboration with industries that exist potentially anywhere."
Sarah Nelson, PhD
Co-chair, UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
"Absolutely delighted to have this inaugural symposium today. It's been a wonderful opportunity to showcase the new department that we have and also to demonstrate to the outside world who we are, where we are, and why we've been formed."
Carl Peck, MD, PhD
Former Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US FDA
"The Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences is simply brilliant. It brings together engineers and pharmaceutical scientists who can put together a new, integrated discipline--a discipline that FDA will be very interested in."
Shuvo Roy, PhD
Associate Professor, UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences
"The range of expertise that's come into the department showcases the potential. I'm excited with the colleagues that I have because these colleagues can assist me in moving my science forward to clinical implementation."