The Scientific Liaison Coalition (SLC) October 28, 2015, Industry Perspective on Biomarkers webinar, The Use of Biomarkers in Clinical Development of Novel Drugs, is now available for viewing under the Webinar section of the SLC website. Gene Marcantonio, MD, PhD, Associate Vice President, Translational Pharmacology at Merck Research Laboratories (MRL), provided an overview of how biomarkers are used in clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry. Most of the discussion focused on fit for purpose biomarkers developed in order to make critical decisions in early drug development. He also discussed the role of target engagement markers to set dose ranges in order to build adequate clinical safety margins. Furthermore, the role of these target engagement markers in determining the level of engagement necessary to translate from a preclinical proof of concept (POC) into a clinical POC study is discussed. Dr. Marcantonio joined MRL in 2007 and has been involved in the early clinical development of a number of compounds in multiple disease areas and now is the lead for Infectious Diseases and Vaccines as well as for Immunology.
The mission of the SLC is “improving the ability of societies to partner with other domestic and international organizations that have objectives consistent with the goal of increasing the impact of the science of toxicology to improve public health” by
- Strengthening partnerships among scientific- and health-based organizations to increase awareness of the impact of toxicology and related subjects on human health; and
- Functioning as a means to enhance cooperation among societies as equals with the goal of accomplishing tasks benefitting human health and disease prevention through joint and several shared activities.
For more information on the SLC, please contact Marcia Lawson.