Journal of Drug Design and Development

Prof. Yi Charlie Chen is a professor of biology at Alderson Broaddus University, USA. He received his Ph.D. from Washington State University (1999), USA. Prof. Chen is currently working on molecular biology of cancer research. His research has focused on the inhibition of anti-cancer drugs, especially natural compounds, on cancer growth with emphasis on angiogenesis and apoptosis. Prof. Chen is also working on nanochemoprevention using nanoparticles as a novel approach for cancer control. Prof. Chen is the recipient of the Faculty of the Year Award in 2013. He was also the featured professor in the 2013 spring issue of the Neuron: West Virginia Journal of Science and Research. Prof. Chen has published over 68 different papers and book chapters in a wide range of scientific journals and books.

Dr. Dorota Bartusik Aebisher is an Adjunct Professor of Department of Biology and Chemistry at Southern Polytechnic State University, USA. She received her Ph.D. from Warsaw University of Technology, Poland in 2005. Dr. Dorota primary research interest is Her2-positive breast cancer and Molecular Imaging applied to monitoring of drug delivery and drug efficiency. Dr. Dorota research interests also include Organic Chemistry, Cancer research, Drug delivery, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Imaging: Mechanistic Organic Chemistry (using preparative, physical-organic, theoretical, bioorganic, and photochemical methods). She is currently exploring innovative applications of multinuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy for studying the therapeutic efficacy of breast cancer drugs.

Dr. Domenico Osella is a Professor of Department of Chemistry at University of Basilicata, Italy. He completed his Post graduate education at the University of Cambridge in 1978. His main fields of interests are Inorganic Medicinal Chemistry l, Inorganic Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Bio electro chemistry, ESR and NMR spectroscopy, Organo metallic Chemistry. Dr. Osella's current issues of research are Use of coordination compounds in biology and medicine, with particular interest to anticancer drugs; Applications of ESR and NMR spectroscopy to bio inorganic chemistry, with particular regard to the extent of oxidative stress in the environment and health; Environmental studies with particular interest to the in situ remediation of soils contaminated by heavy metals.

Prof. Dushyantha Thilak Jayaweera is a professor of Department of medicine and Executive Dean for Research and Research Education for the Miller School of Medicine, USA. He received his M.D. degree from University of Colombo in 1976, Sri Lanka and trained in medicine in Great Britain, and Loyola University of Chicago. Prof. Jayaweera has over 20 years of experience in HIV and serves as the Director for the HIV/HCV co-infection clinic. He has received grant support from the National Institutes of Drug Abuse, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, and the National Science Foundation. Prof. Jayaweera has led and continues to lead numerous industry-funded trials HIV and HIV/HCV co infection and has published more than 70 peer-reviewed research articles. In 2012, Prof. Jayaweera was appointed as Associate Vice Provost for Human Subject Research overseeing the activities of the IRB committees and of the HSRO staff, and acting as a liaison between the IRBs and senior institutional leadership. Prof. Jayaweera was instrumental in initiating a new IRB study submission program called IRB 7.

Dr. Xiaofa Qin is a Founder and President of GI Biopharma Inc. located at New Jersey, USA. He received his Ph.D. from Beijing Medical University, China in 1999. Dr. Xiaofa Research interests include: The association among pancreatic proteases, gut microbiota, dietary chemicals, and diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) and other diseases. Dr. Xiaofa brings forward a theory that impaired inactivation of pancreatic digestive proteases due to reduction of certain kinds of gut bacteria along with the improved hygiene and inhibition by some dietary chemicals may have played a critical role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) and possibly multiple other autoimmune, allergic and metabolic diseases that emerged and dramatically increased in modern society, as the result of damage of gut barrier and increased infiltration of bacterial and dietary components.

Dr. Marco Prosdocimi is a Managing Director of Rare Partners since its foundation in March 2010. He collaborates as a consultant with Pharmaceutical Companies, with Investment Funds and with Research Organizations since 1996, focusing his activity in the areas of Research & Development, including clinical development. Dr. Marco's research interest is now focused on drugs for rare diseases, in particular the subject of the activities we are performing is often repurposing of old drugs for new indications. He has been and is member of the scientific board of several biotech companies and collaborates with public and private institutions for the review of scientific projects and business plans. Dr. Marco is author of more than 120 papers, 200 abstracts and several patents, on cardiovascular and autonomic pharmacology, both at preclinical and clinical level.

Prof. Hechmi Toumi is a Professor of Department of Muscular Skeletal Pathology at Orleans University France, France. He is currently also the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Orleans University France, Vice Director Laboratory EA 4708-I3MTO and Vice President of the Institute of Research, Treatment & Prevention of Osteoporosis. Prof. Hechmi received hid PhD from University of Auvergne-Clermont Ferrand, France in 2002. Prof. Hechmi is the inventor of the international patent filing on the use of algorithmic analyses to identify and quantify ‘invisible’ detail in soft tissues in standard radiographs. Professor Toumi is a Member of the Editorial boards the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Journal of Foot and Ankle and Journal of Clinical Case Reports. His research focuses on Bone, Cartilage and soft tissue injuries.

Dr. Marjan Vracko is a senior researcher at Kemijski Institut/National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Dr. Marjan obtained his Ph.D. in 1990 under supervision of Prof. Janos Ladik from University of Erlangen, FR Germany in the field of quantum chemistry. Later on Dr. Marjan was post doc at the Columbia University of New York and the University of Namur, BE (Faculte Universitaire Notre Dame de la Paix, Namur). Since 1994 his research is focused to QSAR(quantitative structure-activity relationship) modelling of biological/toxical properties of compounds, to chemometrics (numerical analysis of proteomic and genomic data) and to modeling of interaction between a receptor and a molecule. In 1994 Dr. Marjan joined the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana. In 2005 he was senior visiting researcher at the Joint Research Centre of European Commission, Ispra where he worked on applications of (Q) SAR methods for regulatory purposes. He is author of 75 scientific papers and several chapters.

Dr. Jia Long Fang is a Research Biologist at the Division of Biochemical Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research/FDA. Dr. Fang received his Ph.D. in Molecular Epidemiology in 1997 from the renowned Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Fang has over twenty-years of research experience in biochemical carcinogenesis and toxicology. His research has been focused on the effects and mechanisms of the pharmaceuticals and environmental toxicants on the chemical carcinogenesis, such as metabolism, nuclear receptor-mediated modes of action, oxidative stress, and DNA damage and repair. Dr. Fang has been the principal investigator on many approved NCTR protocols that address the biological mechanisms underlying the toxicities of drugs and chemicals. Dr. Fang research is highly relevant to the FDA’s mission and has direct scientific impact on the regulatory responsibilities of the FDA.

Dr. Mao Xiang (Mark) Chen obtained his PhD in Prof Barry Holland's laboratory in the Department of Genetics of the University of Leicester, UK. Following that he did postdoctoral research in the field of signal transduction at the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, directed by Professor Lady Patricia T. W. Cohen and Professor Philip Cohen, FRS, FRSE, in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, Scotland.He then moved to GSK R&D, Stevenage, UK and worked for the last 20 years. He has participated in a large number of drug discovery and technology projects as team member or leader. He is currently group leader of Cell Sciences, supporting the discovery of both small molecular and biopharmaceutical therapeutics. His research interests are Cell biology, protein expression, assay development, cellular channels and pores, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), genome editing, 3D cell models, drug discovery.

Dr. Soyeun Park is an Associate Professor of College of Pharmacy at Keimyung University, Daegu in South Korea. She received her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin, USA in 2003. Dr. Park current research interests include: Investigating the cellular nano-mechanics using the AFM-based micro/nano-rheology applicable to cancer diagnosis and prognosis; Investigating the cell-to-substrate adhesion of cancer cells using the nano-patterned scaffolds; Investigating the cellular mechanical mechanism responsible for the anti-cancer drug resistance and Developing the anti-cancer drug targeting cancer stroma cells and ECM components.

Dr. Wayne Grant Carter is a Principal Investigator of Division of Medical Sciences & Graduate Entry Medicine at University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. He received his Ph.D from University of Southampton, United Kingdom in 1994. Dr. Wayne research & development career has been concerned with understanding cellular signalling and the protein changes and modifications that can trigger pathology, and how therapeutics can limit disease progression. Dr Wayne’s research interests are varied and include detection and utilisation of novel biomarkers of toxicological exposure. Dr Wayne has worked for a global reagent supplier, Sigma, a SME company, Mobious Genomics, and has been employed as a consultant for Syngenta.

Dr. Claudio Nastruzzi is an Associate Professor of Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology at University of Ferrara, Italy. He pursued his PhD in Pharmaceutical Science in 1988. In 2002, Claudio Nastruzzi started the activity of the Laboratory of Biomaterials & Encapsulation (BEL). The main goal of the Laboratory is an integrative concept of research and teaching in the fields of biomaterials, bioencapsulation, drug formulation and drug delivery. Currently are under investigation different formulations including, inorganic matrixes, liposomes, lipospheres, micro particles, nanocapsules, microemulsions and polymeric films. For the development of such delivery systems we are in close cooperation with other groups in the basic, engineering, medical sciences and pharmaceutical industry. Another important field of study of BEL is represented by cell encapsulation and transplantation using natural, synthetic and engineerized polymers. Dr. Claudio Nastruzzi has published more than 180 papers and presented more than 130 contributions to national and international conferences.

Dr. Rosalba Parenti is an Associate Professor of Department of Physiology at University of Catania, Italy. She received her Ph.D in "Neurosciences" from University of L'Aquila, Italy in 1995. Dr. Rosalba is also a principal Investigator of Laboratory of Molecular & Cellular Physiology of Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences. Dr. Rosalba research fields include NEUROSCIENCE: Anatomo/functional organization of the SNC, Neurodegeneration / neuroprotection, Development, Gap Junctions. ONTOGENY/CANCER: Oncofetal proteins, Experimental cancer models for antitumoral therapies, Cancer Biomarkers, Drug Delivery. REGENERATIVE MEDICINE: In vitro and in vivo models for bone/cartilage regeneration.

Dr. Ferdinando Fiorino is Associate Professor in Medicinal Chemistry, at Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Italy. He awarded His Ph. D. in April 1999 in Pharmaceutical Sciences. His research interests belong to Medicinal Chemistry and are addressed, in particular, to design, synthesis and characterization of molecules potentially active on several pharmacological targets. This research activity is mainly focused on the development of serotoninergic ligands with high affinity towards 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors, another research area is peptide and peptide mimetic derivatives acting as enzymatic inhibitors and/or substrates.

Dr. Wajdi Michel Zoghaib is an Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry in University of Sultan Qaboos. He awarded with a Ph. D. in Organic Chemistry from the same university in 1996 from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1997, the United Arab Emirates University offered him an Assistant Professor position where he served until 2004.His research interests are in the areas of Medicinal Chemistry in development of new potential antiviral and antineoplastic compounds, Variable Temperature NMR studies for determining In-solution conformational stability and tautomer population and Synthesis of novel chiral organosiloxane Liquid Crystals in search of ferroelectric and de-vries phase behavior.