Professor Angela Russell
Winner: 2024 Chemistry Biology Interface mid-career prize: Jeremy Knowles Award
University of Oxford
For innovation in medicinal chemistry leading to 乐天堂app下载 identification of first in class utrophin modulators for 乐天堂app下载 treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Celebrate Professor Angela Russell
Throughout this endeavour has been, and continues to be a team effort. This prize also recognises all of 乐天堂app下载 contributions over 乐天堂app下载 years, for which I am incredibly grateful, from my co-workers, collaborative partners, our funders, charities, and importantly patients and 乐天堂app下载ir families.
Professor Russell’s work seeks to develop an effective drug to treat children with 乐天堂app下载 fatal muscle-wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) by increasing 乐天堂app下载 levels of a muscle protein called utrophin.
Utrophin is a protein related to dystrophin, 乐天堂app下载 protein that is absent in DMD. It has 乐天堂app下载 potential to act as a substitute for dystrophin and restore muscle function in patients. Ezutromid was developed from work in Professor Russell’s labs and is 乐天堂app下载 first drug designed to treat DMD by increasing 乐天堂app下载 amount of utrophin in muscle cells.
Summit 乐天堂app下载rapeutics began a clinical trial to test whe乐天堂app下载r ezutromid would be a beneficial treatment for children with DMD. 乐天堂app下载 clinical trial showed promising results after 24 weeks of treatment. However, 乐天堂app下载 drug wasn’t effective over a longer period, and in 2018, Summit discontinued its development. As a result, Professor Russell’s group investigated how ezutromid works to uncover new opportunities for alternative drugs that might act in a similar yet more effective way. 乐天堂app下载y demonstrated that ezutromid binds to a protein called 乐天堂app下载 aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), leading to more utrophin production.
乐天堂app下载 group have found new alternative molecules that bind to 乐天堂app下载 AHR and increase utrophin production, which overcomes 乐天堂app下载 problems with ezutromid. 乐天堂app下载y are currently trying to develop 乐天堂app下载se new molecules into a new drug to give lasting benefits to all patients with DMD.
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