University of Toronto students and University at Buffalo organizers. Photo from left to right: Ryan Polli (UB), Anthony Ku (UofT), Camille Alam (UofT), Amila Omeragic (UofT), Giovanna Schver (UofT), David Brule (UofT), Marilyn Morris (UB), Ann Fernando (UofT), Van Anh (Vika) Nguyen (UB), and Rashi Asthana (UofT)
One of the main goals of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) student chapter is to promote interaction between its student participants and members of the AAPS community. The AAPS student chapter is always keen on attending and contributing to various events, such as the AAPS annual meeting and other international conferences, industry visits, workshops, and student journal clubs. The AAPS student chapters at various universities across Canada and United States have been very active in organizing special activities and events to help graduate students bridge the gap between academia and industry and further expand their professional networks. Among these efforts is organizing research days/symposiums to facilitate collaborations and information sharing.
In August 2018, University at Buffalo (UB) AAPS student chapter took the initiative to invite University of Toronto (UofT) student chapter for a joint Research Day. The full-day event consisted of platform research presentations from students of both AAPS student chapters, which allowed an exchange of ideas between faculty members/students from UB and UofT. The presentations were focused in areas of drug metabolism and transport, pharmacokinetics, drug delivery/formulation, and protein engineering. Published works pertaining to several of the presentations are provided below. This interaction greatly enhanced students’ knowledge and professional awareness in the field of pharmaceutical sciences. What made this a unique experience? “Learning from UB graduate students’ fascinating research work, expanding our professional network and promoting the exchange of ideas for the establishment of promising collaborative activities between UB and UofT student chapters were the main factors,” said Giovanna Schver, Ph.D. candidate at Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and University of Toronto AAPS student chapter 2017-2018 vice chair.
The AAPS student chapters from University of Toronto and Buffalo have a long history of collaborations. The Great Lakes Symposium used to take place years ago, in which graduate students and faculty members from both universities shared their research results and even participated in softball competitions. This UB initiative strengthened the ties between both student chapters, and the hope is that there will be more collaborative opportunities in the future.
In the short term, we are currently planning a Toronto-based Research Day between both universities in 2019. Our long-term goal is to host a larger student conference with other Great Lakes AAPS student chapters by 2020. Above all, this initiative serves as a reminder of the positive aspects that can emerge from the cooperation between AAPS student chapters.
Special thanks to all presenters, as well as the AAPS student chapter organizers and participants of this event: Ryan Polli (chair, UB), Van Anh (Vika) Nguyen (president of pharmaceutics GSA, UB), Noor Al-saden (chair, UofT), Giovanna Schver (vice chair UofT), Marilyn Morris, Ph.D. (faculty advisor, UB), and Ping I Lee, Ph.D. (faculty advisor, UofT).
PUBLISHED WORKS PERTAINING TO PRESENTED TOPICS:
Quercetin, Morin, Luteolin, and Phloretin Are Dietary Flavonoid Inhibitors of Monocarboxylate Transporter 6
Jones RS et al. Mol Pharm. 2017 Sep 5;14(9):2930-2936. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00264.
Influence of Molecular size on the clearance of antibody fragments
Li Z et al. Pharm Res. 2017 Oct;34(10):2131-2141. doi:10.1007/s11095-017-2219-y
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma: potential molecular therapeutic target for HIV-1-associated brain inflammation.
Omeragic A et al. J Neuroinflammation. 2017 Sep 8;14(1):183. doi:10.1186/s12974-017-0957-8.
Combined Effects of Supersaturation Rates and Doses on the Kinetic-Solubility Profiles of Amorphous Solid Dispersions Based on Water-Insoluble Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) Hydrogels
Schver GCRM et al. Mol Pharm. 2018 May 7;15(5):2017-2026. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00162.
Modulating Macrophage Polarization through CCR2 Inhibition and Multivalent Engagement
Deci MB et al. Mol Pharm. 2018 Jul 2;15(7):2721-2731. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00237.
Regulation of Reduced Folate Carrier (RFC) by Vitamin D Receptor at the Blood-Brain Barrier
Alam C et al. Mol Pharm. 2017 Nov 6;14(11):3848-3858. doi:10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.7b00572.