Helixtalk - Rosalind Franklin University's College Of Pharmacy Podcast

In this episode, we discuss the very early stages of drug targets and drug development with Dr. Mohd Shahid, PhD. Dr. Shahid’s research involves the IER3 gene, which is an important modulator of the body’s inflammatory response via its action in major immune cells, including macrophages and T-cells, and plays a role in metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis, revealing a previously unknown function of this protein. Key Concepts Drug development is a multi-decade journey – human clinical trials occur very late in the process. Drug development often starts before a drug molecule is even conceived by identifying potential drug targets. Chronic inflammation is important for a variety of diseases, including obesity and atherosclerosis. Dr. Shahid’s work focuses on a specific gene, Immediate Early Response 3 Gene (IER3 or IEX-1), and its role in modulating the inflammatory response in these disease states. The research process frequently leads to unexpected discoveries and new lines of i