Dear AAPS members–
I have just passed my first 90 days at AAPS, and I assure you, they flew by! Especially this week! One of the reasons I took this opportunity to work with you, the members of AAPS, was the chance to further develop AAPS as a resource for biolanalytical research. I'm pleased to say that this week has been-and this month will be-full of opportunities to do that.
Earlier this week, the bioanalytical and diagnostic testing aspects that are so important to tackling the COVID-19 pandemic were discussed during our workshop, COVID-19: Current Pharmaceutical Developments for Cures and Prevention. The bioanalytical field has always been a cornerstone area of scientific interest within our membership, and so it is not surprising that the sessions were well attended and the Q&As filled with great discussion. If you missed this part of the workshop, the recordings will soon be available. The recordings from the first two parts of the workshop are already available and free to access by AAPS members.
Understandably there is currently an overwhelming focus on bioanalytical questions that are associated with the pandemic, but looking at the agenda of the upcoming Land O' Lakes Bioanalytical Conference reminds me of how our success in pharmaceutical development is dependent on good bioanalytical approaches. It also reinforces that new modalities or therapeutic approaches often come with the same old challenges, e.g., measuring ADAs. I look forward to the immunogenicity plenary session that explores this issue for gene and cell therapy products. The focus on gene therapy is carried into the second day of the meeting with a dedicated morning plenary session that explores a wide range of assay approaches and closes with a regulatory perspective on what is needed in the successful licensing application for a gene therapy. The conference further highlights advances in imaging, as well as noninvasive bioanalysis approaches, both in dedicated plenary sessions.
Given the current public health circumstances, Land O' Lakes is fully virtual this year. But organizers and staff hope you will still get social with your fellow bioanalytical experts in the numerous coffee and conversation sessions scheduled throughout the meeting, as well as in the exhibit hall and the trivia session. We can't bring you to the lake this year, but we can still bring you the exciting scientific discussion and opportunities to connect with your colleagues.
I hope you continue to set aside some time this summer to follow the great science in our journals. If you have been following the saga of NDMA and NDEA contaminations in widely used drugs, including popular antacid OTCs like ranitidine, you should not miss this article by Yang et al. from the FDA St. Louis laboratory. It's a cautionary tale that highlights the importance of assuring the specificity of critical analytical procedures.
The scope of science that we cover at AAPS and in our journals is broad, but we are discussing narrowing it in one specific journal: AAPS Open. We are considering focusing our open access journal on regulatory and pharmaceutical quality science. We really would like to know what you think about this idea! Please share your opinions in this short survey.
Speaking of surveys, thank you for your heartfelt response to our survey on diversity, equity, and inclusion in AAPS and pharmaceutical science. The survey closed earlier this week, and we will share its insights with you through an article in AAPS Newsmagazine soon. We were humbled by the active and positive engagement from our members on this important issue. The board will incorporate guidance based on the survey's results into the 2020-2025 strategic plan that is now in development.
I leave you with best wishes for a relaxing weekend. Please look forward to exciting news from us about PharmSci 360 next week when you return to your desks and the science that is so important to us!
Tina
Share your thoughts with Tina via the AAPS Community!