UNeMed, the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s technology licensing arm, is hosting a talk Dec. 18 on drug development featuring Christine Smith, a vice president of Pfizer, Inc.
The talk, which is geared towards researchers and health professionals, also is open to those in the public interested in learning about Pfizer’s drug development and pipeline of drugs. The talk will be held from noon to 1 p.m., in the Durham Research Center Auditorium. Lunch will be served starting at 11:45 a.m. on a first come first serve basis.
The Durham Research Center is located on the northwest corner of Emile St. and Durham Research Plaza, on the west end of the UNMC campus. Free parking is available in the patient/visitor garage at Emile St. and Durham Research Plaza.
Smith is vice president and head, Biotherapeutics Center of Emphasis, Pfizer Worldwide Research. She will discuss biotherapeutics, an area of drug development which has provided numerous treatments on the market. The talk is titled, “Biotherapeutics and Macromolecules: Additional approaches to address patient needs.”
Smith leads a biotherapeutics group for Pfizer Worldwide Research. She has worked on projects at all stages of pharmaceutical drug development, from discovery through clinic, and is co-inventor on several patents pertaining to the discovery of new proteins.
“We are extremely pleased to have such a high profile individual here from a large pharmaceutical company,” said Michael Dixon, Ph.D., vice president and chief operating officer for UNeMed. “It provides us a fantastic opportunity to learn more about how we can work with Pfizer to develop the next generation of drugs that will improve health care.”
UNeMed is seeking ways to partner with Pfizer and other companies to enable scientists to develop biomedical technology that improves health and save lives.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
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