A Case Study of
Drug Development: Therapeutic Target in the Leukotriene Pathway
Jilly F.
Evans, Ph.D.
Biography:
Dr. Jilly Evans is Director in the
Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Merck & Co. During her first 15 years with Merck
(1983-1998), Jilly was a key biochemist in the teams that developed SingulairTM
and VioxxTM. She was a
co-discoverer of the 5-lipoxygenase-activing protein (FLAP) and lead biochemist
on the development of the FLAP inhibitor MK-0591 that successfully completed
Phase II asthma trials. From 1998-2003,
she led the Merck Research Laboratoires orphan GPCR team in the identification
of the motilin, urotensin, neuromedin U, neuropeptide FF and CysLT1 (target of
SingulairTM) and CysLT2 receptors.
For 2 years she has led a team in the preclinical development of
inhibitors of FLAP for cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Evans has extensive experience on preclinical development teams and
in co-ordination of multi-faceted discovery projects. She has an
internationally acclaimed reputation in the eicosanoid field, has been an
international spokesperson for both SingulairTM and VioxxTM,
and is an author on over 85 peer reviewed publications and 15 invited reviews.
Dr. Evans obtained her BS and MSc
(1st class honors) degrees from the University of Auckland, New
Zealand, and earned her PhD in biochemistry in 1978 from the University of
British Columbia, studying under Professor Michael Smith (1993 Nobel Prize in Chemistry). Subsequently, she worked as a postdoctoral
fellow at McGill University, prior to joining Merck Forest Canada in 1983. In 2002 she was elected as an honorary fellow
of the Royal Society of New Zealand in recognition of distinction in research and
advancement of science.
Abstract:
This presentation will provide an
overview of the leukotriene field and the successful development of the
cysteinyl leukotriene 1 receptor antagonist SingulairTM, for asthma
and allergic diseases. In addition, new
leukotriene therapeutic targets in cardiovascular disease will be
discussed. The talk will cover both the
traditional route of drug development of SingulairTM and the modern
development of future leukotriene modulators based on human and animal genetic
discoveries.