Professor Margaret Brimble, the distinguished chemist from New Zealand is one of the many notable speakers at the 17th International Biotechnology Symposium and Exhibition (IBS) in October this year.
Professor Brimble, who holds the Chair of Organic Chemistry and is Director of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Auckland, will cross the Tasman to deliver a talk entitled, Peptide and Peptidomimetic Therapeutic Agents from a New Zealand Perspective in Melbourne.
While the title may not easily roll of the tongue for most, Professor Brimble can discuss the intricacies of peptides, lipopeptides and glycopeptides as fluently as a first language, in a manner that will engage those less informed in the field.
She’s a remarkable woman with a score of accolades against her name - far too many to list in this article - however it’s worth pointing out that among the numerous awards she was named the 2007 L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureate for Asia-Pacific in Materials Science as well the recipient of two Queen’s honours and the Rutherford Medal (NZ’s top science prize).
IBS lecture
Professor Brimble’s lecture will focus of her research – the synthesis of bioactive natural products and the synthesis of peptides, lipopeptides and glycopeptides as potential therapeutic agents.
For those among you who have a particular interest in the intricate science of “making complex molecules,” her lecture will be an insight into research conducted in her lab.
The lecture will describe how the discovery and development of peptide therapeutics become cancer vaccines and agents to treat neurogenetic disorders, infectious disease and diabetes.
Professor Brimble will describe in detail the development of the drug NNZ2566, which she discovered for Neuren Pharmaceuticals. The drug, which has been recently named trofinetide, was successful in phase II trials for Rett Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome. It has received orphan drug status and fast-track designation by the FDA as the first drug to treat Rett Syndrome or Fragile X Syndrome. An impressive achievement, to say the least.
Who should attend
Professor Brimble would of course love to see fellow chemists attend her lecture, but who she is most eager to hear from at IBS this year are biologists who work with peptides and who have the potential to translate their research into a therapeutic product by working with a medicinal chemist.
International events like IBS, which will attract over 1,000 international participants, is an ideal way for those working in the same space to meet, share and collaborate.
For those wanting to hear the renowned chemist discuss her work, they can do so on 27th October at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Register now or view the program.