The Search for New Treatments for Psychosis

13 Apr 2018

A DNEP Translational Workshop with distinguished visiting lecturer, Alan Cross, on 25 April 2018

Alan Cross will present the DNEP visiting lecture from 12.30 until 1.30pm on Wednesday, 25 April 2018. He will survey the current state of the art from his long experience of drug discovery in academia and industry.

The Workshop will have six expert panellists to discuss the way forward with Alan. We’ll discuss the approaches - cognitive and molecular subtyping, rodent – human translation, drug repurposing, stem cell models, the role of inflammation. Bring your ideas too.

Alan J Cross: The Search for New Treatments for Psychosis

"Despite 50 years of neuropharmacological research, efforts to discover new treatments for schizophrenia beyond D2 receptor antagonist-based approaches have failed. Genetics/genomics promises to reveal new potential drug targets, although the path to new treatments is unclear and beyond the scope of current efforts. Translational approaches are key to future success: i) genes to targets; ii) drug candidates to proof of concept"

Programme

12.00pm - Lunch finger buffet 'Food for Thought' café, Zochonis Building

12.30 - 1.30pm - DNEP Distinguished Visitor Lecture Alan Cross: The search for new treatments for psychosis

1.30 - 3.00pm - Workshop session 1 - Finding new treatments for schizophrenia / Molecular mechanisms, biomarkers, subtyping and treatments, Chair: Alison Yung

1.30pm - Neil Hanley (Developmental Medicine) New genes and target mechanisms from human neurodevelopment

1.50pm - Bill Deakin (DNEP) Dopamine, glutamate and GABA function and clinical subtypes

2.10pm - Peter Talbot (DNEP) Inflammation and psychosis; implications for treatment

2.30pm - General discussion with Panel

2.40 - 3.00pm - Tea Coffee

3.00 - 4.30pm - Workshop session 2: Neural systems; targets, biomarkers, subtyping and treatments, Chair: Shon Lewis

3.00pm - Rebecca Elliott (DNEP) Social, emotional and motivational cognitive processes – potential surrogates for efficacy?

3.20pm - Jo Neill (Pharmacy) Modelling cognition and aspects of negative symptoms from rodents to humans

4.00pm - Brief ideas session - Bo Yao: Modelling and measuring hallucinations in psychosis / Others: EEG, MEG, Primary cortical dysfunction……?

4.15pm - Finding new treatments for psychosis: concluding discussion Allan Cross and Panel

4.30pm - Close