November 1, 2010

Course 1   12:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Allosteric Modulators of GPCRs

Topics to be Covered:

• Introduction to theory, types and kinetics of allosteric modulators
• Screening and assays for small molecule allosteric modulators of GPCRs 
• Examples of non-small molecule allosteric modulators of GPCRs
• Case study of discovery and development of a GPCR allosteric modulator with a focus on optimization challenges
• Q&A panel session with the instructors 

Course Instructors:

Scott Kuduk, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow, Medicinal Chemistry, Merck & Co. (tentative)

Craig Lindsley, Ph.D., Professor, Pharmacology and Chemistry, Vanderbilt University

Y. Gopi Shanker, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Neuroscience, Amgen

Course 2   3:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Structure-Based Design of Ion Channel – Linked Receptors

Topics to be Covered

• High – Throughput screening of channel inhibitors
• Automated patch clamp for screening
• NMR for structure – based design
• Current technologies

Course Instructors to be Announced

Course 3   3:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Target Validation in Drug Discovery

Topics to be Covered

• Models (in vitro, in vivo, in silico)
• Enabling Technologies (functional genomics/proteomics)
• Case Studies

Course Instructors to be Announced

Course 4   12:00 pm – 6:30 pm   Download Brochure

CHI & International Center for Integrative Systems

Molecular & Cellular Mechanisms of Traditional Systems of Medicine

Strategies to Conduct Convergent Research on Traditional Medicines and Systems Biology from Cellular to Molecular Mechanisms

Course Instructors:

Dr. V.A. Shiva Ayyadurai, Ph.D., M.I.T. & International Center for Integrative Systems

Dr. Andrew Ahn, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. C. Forbes Dewey, Jr., M.I.T.

Sen Song, Professor, Tsinghua Univeristy, China

Sourav Bhowmick, Assistant Professor, National Technological University, Singapore

Workshop Motivation:
The Institute for Integrative Systems develops research programs, curriculum and events to explore the integration of Traditional Medicines Systems with Modern Systems Biology.  This workshop represents a condensed curriculum of the Institute’s course, which will be offered as a 13-week course at MIT this Fall 2010.  The motivation of this workshop is to educate its attendees of the opportunity to bring together two systems of medicine for the advancement of health and management of disease.

For thousands of years, traditional systems of medicine have employed modalities such as herbs, movement, sound, meditation, and other therapeutic approaches. These traditional systems have been developed across many cultures: Indian, Chinese, Native American, Korean, African, to name a few.  Thousands of individual treatments exist across all of these systems, whose benefits have been reported.   The public in the United States alone has begun adopting nutraceuticals (herbs and vitamins) and alternative and complementary therapies (yoga, massage, acupuncture, meditation, etc.).  Currently, it is estimated that Americans spend $60 Billion annually, which is growing at 30% per year. 
 
While the growth of the use of these therapies is significant, from a modern and Western perspective, the biological principles and molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these modalities are not well understood.  Recognizing this, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) now supports basic and clinical research programs to verify health claims and to determine the molecular and cellular mechanistic basis of these modalities.  This workshop will offer attendees the opportunity to : 1) acquire a deeper understanding of the nature of these traditional systems of medicine (TSM) and 2) understand the modern biological engineering approaches being now employed to investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of these modalities.

Workshop Organization:
This workshop is composed of three (3) parts:

• Part I – Traditional Systems of Medicine (TSM) & Systems Biology
• Part II – Biological Engineering Approaches to Evaluate TSM
• Part III – Policies and Issues in Executing Integrative Research
   

November 3, 2010

Course 5   8:30 am – 11:30 am

Best Practices for Setting Up Effective RNAi Screens

The course is designed to provide in-depth information on how to go about setting up RNAi screening experiments and how to design assays for getting optimal results. The challenges working with siRNAs and shRNAs and the delivery reagents needed to get them into the appropriate cells and tissues will be discussed. The instructors will also provide their input on best practices for the execution of experiments and interpretation of results when dealing with complex biology and informatics.

Course Instructors:

Hakim Djaballah, Ph.D., Director, HTS Core Facility, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Namjin Chung, Ph.D., Senior Research Investigator, Applied Genomics, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Serena Silver, Ph.D., RNAi Screening Projects Group Leader, Broad Institute at MIT

Marc Ferrer, Ph.D., Team Leader, NIH Chemical Genomics Center, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health

Course 6   6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

DINNER SHORT COURSE

In vivo Discovery and Validation Using RNAi

In vivo experiments with RNAi are proving to be more complex and intricate than those done in vitro. This course is designed to provide experimental and technical details involving the design and use of such RNAi-based in vivo screens. Questions surrounding the choice and use of appropriate reagents and animal models, criteria for experimental design and quality control, immunogenic and off-target effects, and other important issues will be discussed in extensive detail. The course will also go over the challenges surrounding efficient delivery of siRNA or shRNA molecules into the cell, tissue uptake and retention, success of systemic and local delivery, and instructors will offer guidance and alternatives based on their expertise and experiences. These in vivo-based RNAi screens cover a diverse range of applications such as, screens for functional analysis of cellular pathways and moieties, for understanding the biology of a disease, for validation of drug targets, and many others. Scientists involved in these areas of research or those looking to learn more about how these screens are effectively designed and used are encouraged to participate.

Course Instructors:

Annie Conery, Ph.D., Director, C. elegans Screening Core, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital

Siew Ho, Ph.D., Senior Principal Scientist, Applied Biotechnology, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

Course 7   6:00 pm – 9:00 pm

DINNER SHORT COURSE

Assessing Cardio Safety of Diabetes Drug Candidates
Assessing the cardiovascular safety of diabetes drug candidates has
always been important, but it has become a more deliberate/discussed
focus after the FDA issued guidance on the topic in December of 2008 for
the pharmaceutical industry. This workshop is designed to help scientists
understand and discuss their diabetes drug development work in the
context of the new guidelines.

• How to evaluate CV risk of preclinical compounds
• What is needed for FDA approval
• Case Studies

Instructors to be Announced.

*Separate registration required.