Members are talking about their science across AAPS’ educational platforms.
By Dale Eric Wurster, Ph.D., FAAPS, President
It is fundamental to our profession that scientists contribute to the body of scientific knowledge to advance our progress toward therapies and cures that benefit all. In my eyes, AAPS’ most critical role is in providing forums for this exchange to take place. I am very pleased with the breadth of science AAPS offers and the growing opportunities to do so.
As I look ahead to the 2019 AAPS PharmSci 360, just a few short months away, I am enthused by the research and insights our members will share in sessions, in posters, and in rapid fire presentations. The AAPS Board of Directors was quite pleased to see that symposia and workshop submissions were up 20 percent this year, and I believe the impact of and interest in the symposia will again lead to valuable discussions and eye-opening Q&As. PharmSci 360 is programmed according to the following five tracks, each of which is equally balanced between chemical and biomolecular areas:
Preclinical Development
Bioanalytics
Clinical Pharmacology
Manufacturing and Bioprocessing
Formulation and Quality
In addition, two end-to-end hot topics will have daily symposia covering the breadth of these two areas: Nucleic Acid-Based Therapeutics: Discovery, Development, and Delivery and The Journey to Developing Tissue- and Organ-Specific Therapies. The conversations that spring from these sessions between scientists of many disciplines and backgrounds will be enlightening.
The volunteers serving on the Scientific Programming Committee have reviewed scientific session proposals, in many cases working with submitters to refine their presentations. A robust program has been lined up for the meeting. You can find the list of scientific sessions in the recently launched meeting app. I commend the programming committee on putting together another exciting scientific program for 2019, and I thank everyone who submitted programming proposals.
AAPS has also increased the number of workshops it offers outside of PharmSci 360 during the year. The 2019 workshops have covered a wide range of science, and attendance at these events continues to climb. I thank the organizers of these events for their time and their willingness to share their knowledge.
Last spring, AAPS workshops covered novel approaches for targeting brain barriers; offered an opportunity for predictive modelers to gather and exchange techniques across disciplines; and discussed chemistry, manufacturing, and controls topics in a peer-to-peer learning experience. This summer, scientists gathered to discuss and review the newest draft of the International Conference on Harmonisation’s M10 guidelines on bioanalytical method validation.
AAPS completed the process of formally partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison on the development and presentation of the well-known and respected Land O’ Lakes conferences, of which there are three this year: 20th Annual Bioanalytical Conference, 59th Annual Pharmaceutical Analysis Conference, and the 22nd Annual Drug Metabolism and Applied Pharmacokinetics Conference. This partnership will continue and will benefit all our members. I am very grateful to the volunteers who represent both AAPS and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who are making the partnership a success.
Next month, an AAPS workshop in London will focus on translating cell and gene therapy products. Other upcoming workshops include AAPS’ second guidance forum, where industry scientists can converse with regulators. Farther into the future, AAPS is cosponsoring a workshop on global bioequivalence harmonization in conjunction with the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences.
AAPS is also open to cosponsoring events that our members care about. I have personally endorsed events held by members from AAPS’ In Vitro Release and Dissolution Testing Community this year in China and in Peru on dissolution, bioequivalence, product performance, and quality. Next spring, Joseph Polli, our incoming president, will appear at the International Conference on Advances in Pharmaceutical Drug Development, Quality Control and Regulatory Sciences in Budapest, which AAPS is cosponsoring.
Moving on to AAPS journals, they boast fast review, fast publication, high impact, and high readership. Downloads for 2018 were just under 300,000 each for The AAPS Journal and AAPS PharmSciTech and close to 700,000 for Pharmaceutical Research. AAPS Open boasts more than 2,100 accesses per article published in 2018. These journals cover a wide range of pharmaceutical science topics and benefit both authors and readers. Theme issues make it easy for members to find a variety of articles on a topic of interest. For example, Pharmaceutical Research recently published the theme 3D Printing of Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications, and The AAPS Journal recently completed a theme showcasing research by emerging scientists. At last year’s PharmSci 360, AAPS presented two high-impact article awards, one each for The AAPS Journal (Clinical Predictors of Venetoclax Pharmacokinetics in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Patients: a Pooled Population Pharmacokinetic Analysis) and AAPS PharmSciTech (Development of Solid Self-Emulsifying Formulation for Improving the Oral Bioavailability of Erlotinib). It also presented a meritorious manuscript award for a Pharmaceutical Research article (A Lower Temperature FDM 3D Printing for the Manufacture of Patient-Specific Immediate Release Tablets). These articles and theme issues represent the variety of science found in the AAPS journals.
In addition, members have shared their expertise through AAPS elearning. More than 1,800 people viewed an AAPS webinar in 2018, and we are on track for equally high numbers this year. Recent webinars covered fast-to-clinic strategies on drug product design and development, the fundamentals of design of experiments, and bioanalytical considerations for the development of hybrid molecules. AAPS recently announced a series on statistics for chemistry, manufacturing, and controls activities that includes five webinars and a short course at PharmSci 360 in November.
AAPS’ newest ecourse is Essentials of Regulatory Compliance for Pharmaceutical Scientists, which focuses on good laboratory, clinical, and manufacturing practices. Other ecourses run the gamut from immunogenicity to transporters to biotherapeutic development.
As I have mentioned before in this column, AAPS Communities are designed for members to share knowledge and to offer a platform for members to find answers to their questions. AAPS created its communities platform to encourage direct communication and sharing on scientific and other work-related topics. I am pleased to report that members are both participating in hundreds of discussions and posting resources for their colleagues.
As you can see, there are many ways to share your science with your colleagues at AAPS. For those who have already proposed a scientific meeting session, published one or more journal articles, developed a webinar, or responded to a question on the AAPS Communities, thank you for sharing your science. For those who have downloaded one or more journal articles, attended PharmSci 360 or a workshop, or taken an ecourse or webinar, thank you for taking advantage of AAPS’ educational programs. The exchange of science in our membership is vast and rich and good for all.