11:30 – 12:00  Dr Francesco Aprile:  Antibody Discovery for Protein Aggregation and Post-translational Modification

12:00 – 13:00  Guest Speaker – Professor Celine Marmion:  Teaching an Old Drug New Tricks – From Cisplatin to Multi-Targeted Metallodrugs

Abstract

Cancer remains a major global health burden despite significant advances in treatment regimens and extensive medical oncology research. Current drug treatments have drawbacks including dose limiting toxic side effects and drug resistance. The development of safer and more effective drug treatments remains a major research focus. Exploiting nanotechnologies for the selective delivery of cancer drugs to tumours can enhance the safety profile of drugs. An alternative strategy is to utilise a multi-targeted approach and, in doing so, address both toxicity and resistance issues.

Inspired by the clinical success of (i) platinum-based drugs and (ii) small molecule inhibitors of enzymes such as histone deacetylases (HDACs), we have developed innovative dual-targeting Pt-HDAC inhibitor conjugates for therapeutic exploitation. Building on this research, we have more recently turned our attention to other redox active metal ions including those of Ru and Cu. Changing the metal offers a number of advantages not least the ability to change the chemistry and thus change the mechanism of action. In so doing, the compounds can be rationally designed so as to address both toxicity and/or resistance issues. Paul Ehrlich (1854–1915), the founding father of chemotherapy, pioneered the concept of the ‘magic bullet’. Our endeavours to date to move a step closer to Ehrlich’s vision will be presented.

Biography

Professor Marmion was awarded a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Surrey in 1994. She subsequently held a lecturing position in chemistry (1994-1995) at St. Mary’s University College, Strawberry Hill, UK and then graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of Kingston, UK in 1996. She was appointed as a lecturer in Chemistry in RCSI in 1997, promoted to senior lecturer in 2003, to Associate Professor in 2013 and to Full Professor in 2018. During this time, she has held numerous senior administrative roles. For example, she is currently Deputy Dean for Student Engagement within the RCSI Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences. She is passionate about nurturing an excellent educational experience for students at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.  This is reflected in the fact that in 2016, she was the recipient of a national ‘Teaching Hero’ award. She has also been the recipient of numerous RCSI President’s Teaching Awards as voted by students. In 2016, she also received the highly prestigious RCSI Dean’s Academic Award for ‘Endeavour, Innovation, Collaboration and Service’ to RCSI. Professor Marmion has a passion for and a track record in trying to develop innovative multi-targeted metallodrug candidates for therapeutic exploitation. In this regard, she has secured significant research funding including five grants from Science Foundation Ireland and industrial funding. She also has been commercially active. She has patented her drug technologies, has executed a license agreement with one pharma company and a license and option agreement with another one. She was the recipient of the RCSI Research Innovation Award – in recognition of her ‘leading performance as PI who was most successful in research commercialization at RCSI in 2016’. She is currently President of the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland. She also co-founded the Irish Biological Inorganic Chemistry Society and is currently its President. She is married with two daughters.