Ricerca neurobiologica: prospettive e futuri sviluppi clinici

Secondo Lei, quale dovrebbe essere la corretta relazione tra la ricerca scientifica e le grandi multinazionali farmaceutiche? Potrebbe accennare alla situazione nel suo paese?
Le grandi multinazionali del farmaco in tutto il mondo stanno al momento attuale modificando il loro atteggiamento rispetto alla ricerca mirata alla scoperta di nuovi farmaci. Nel passato le società farmaceutiche impiegavano un consistente staff di ricerca a questo scopo. Al momento attuale è in corso un tentativo di concentrare gli investimenti nella scoperta di farmaci da parte di società biotecnologiche più piccole – di fatto delegando la tradizionale attività delle grandi multinazionali del farmaco. Resta da verificare quanto sarà efficace questo cambiamento d’approccio sul piano delle scoperte farmacologiche. Le Università hanno visto questo mutamento come un’opportunità per le istituzioni accademiche al fine di essere più coinvolte nella medicina traslazionale. Resta ugualmente da verificare quanto questo nuovo approccio porterà a successi. Ciò che emerge chiaramente da un’attenta analisi dei successi degli ultimi 50 anni è la necessità di una collaborazione tra gli scienziati ricercatori, che studiano i meccanismi biologici di base, e i ricercatori che si occupano di ricerca applicata e che mirano a sviluppare farmaci clinicamente rilevanti ed economicamente profittevoli.

Internet e i nuovi media digitali, a suo avviso, sono stati utili al progresso della ricerca scientifica? E se sì, in che misura?
Le nuove tecnologie sono sempre utili nel favorire il progresso nella ricerca scientifica. Esse, tuttavia, non devono sostituirsi al bisogno di formare i giovani ricercatori a coltivare una mente curiosa ed indipendente.

Derek Bowie, B.Sc., Ph.D.,
Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Receptor Pharmacology,
Graduate Program Director in Pharmacology,
Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics,
Bellini Life Sciences Complex, Room 164,
McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler,
Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 0B1
Email: derek.bowie@mcgill.ca

Per saperne di più:
Web: http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/pharma/dbowielab

Neurobiological research: perspectives and future developments
(testo originale in lingua inglese)

We have tried to understand together with Derek Bowie, Associate Professor and senior researcher at Montreal McGill University (Canada), the future development of neurological research and the current approach to drug discovery by Big Pharma… with a special attention to the eye diseases.
Which are the main fields of scientific research you are working on? And in particular which of them are related to the study of eye diseases?
My lab is working on a number of issues that relate to how neurons in the vertebrate brain communicate with each other. To do this, we use a multi-disciplinary approach to study the properties of the two major neurotransmitter receptors of the brain, namely excitatory ionotropic glutamate receptors and inhibitory GABA-A receptors. Our work on GABA-A receptors is focused on trying to understand the molecular basis of a genetic form of epilepsy called idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Projects looking at ionotropic glutamate receptors are looking at their role in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Fragile X syndrome, and glaucoma.

Is there any cellular mechanism we are going to understand better and that can change our comprehension of some disease onset and clinical course?
In glaucoma, we have recently reported a novel role of a glutamate receptor subtype called an AMPA receptor. The AMPA receptor is special in retinal neurons since it allows the transfer of calcium ions from outside. We have postulated that up regulation of these receptors occurs in glaucoma which brings about retinal ganglion cell death.

Which areas of your current research might lead to new clinical therapies in a near future?
The aim of our work on glaucoma is looking at pharmacological intervention with a novel class of drugs. It is too early to discuss the details of this but given that current therapy to treat glaucoma which tackles symptoms only, our approach would be to prevent the onset of the condition.

According to you which should be the correct relationship between scientific research and Big Pharma? Could you briefly describe the situation in your country?
Big Pharma worldwide is currently undergoing a change of mind in how to discover drugs. In the past, pharmaceutical companies employed a sizeable research staff for this purpose. Now there is an attempt to place the emphasis on investing in drug discovery from smaller biotech firms-effectively outsourcing the traditional activity of Big Pharma. It remains to be determined how effective this shift in approach will be in terms of drug discovery. Universities have viewed this change in approach as an opportunity for academic institutions to become more involved in translational medicine. Again it remains to be established how successful this approach will be. What is clear from a perusal of past successes in the last 50 years is that it requires a collaboration between research scientists studying basic biological mechanisms with applied researchers wishing to develop a clinically-relevant and economically valuable drugs.

In your opinion internet and the new media have been useful to the progress of scientific research? And how much?
New technologies are always useful in advancing progress in scientific research. However, it does not replace the need to train young researchers with an independent and curious mind.

Derek Bowie, B.Sc., Ph.D.,
Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Receptor Pharmacology,
Graduate Program Director in Pharmacology,
Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics,
Bellini Life Sciences Complex, Room 164,
McGill University, 3649 Promenade Sir William Osler,
Montreal, QC, Canada H3G 0B1
Email: derek.bowie@mcgill.ca