Scotland's Drug Scene

SULSA, JULY 2017 Scotland’s Drug Scene or many people, if asked about drugs led trypanosomes that are transmitted between in Scotland, they will think of Euan Ma- people by blood sucking tsetse fies. The new cgregor disappearing into the bowl of drug, called fexinidazole, or “fexi” for short, can be the “worst toilet in Scotland”, in Danny taken orally as tablets, rather than injections, as is Boyle’s flm rendition of Irvine Welsh’s the case for current sleeping sickness treatments. book “Train Spotting”. Drugs, however, It has been developed over the last 10 years by a Frepresent a critical part of the Scottish economy. Geneva-based group called the Drugs for Neglec- Not the damaging recreational kind, but the me- ted Diseases initiative (DNDi). It was frst shown to dicines that save lives. Scotland has been a global be active against the parasites by Frank Jennings pioneer in the discovery of new drugs. Here we whilst working at the School of Veterinary Me- outline some of Scotland’s landmark contribu- dicine in Glasgow in the 1980s. Alan Fairlamb, tions to this feld. working with the Drug Discovery Unit in Dundee, later showed that fexi is also active against another As early as the middle of the nineteen- neglected parasitic disease called leishmaniasis. th century, Scots were leading the way in drug Interest in developing drugs at the Glasgow vet development. Dr Livingstone, the missionary School had reached its pinnacle when James Bla- explorer from Blantyre near Glasgow, managed ck, from Uddingston, not far from Livingstone’s to navigate his way around Africa where others birthplace in Blantyre, began his research into un- had failed before, through his diligent use of the derstanding the efects of adrenaline on the heart. drug quinine, which killed malaria parasites that had obliterated previous European eforts to ex- plore the African interior. Livingstone had trained as a doctor at Anderson’s college in Glasgow and read that quinine prevents the African fever that killed so many of his predecessors. He added rhu- barb, jalap and a little opium to produce a mixture that was later marketed by the Burrough’s Well- come phamaceutical Company under the name of “Livingstone’s Rousers”. Livingstone, born into poverty, was a benefciary of Scotland’s enligh- tened higher education system. Whilst England, at the beginning of the nineteenth Century, had just the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, ca- tering primarily for the wealthy, Scotland already had four major Universities plus a range of other Figure 1. Sir James Black. Source: www.nms.ac.uk establishments, like Anderson’s college, that cate- red for anyone who could pay. Livingstone made lack was an alumnus of the University of enough money working in a mill to sign up and St Andrews. He later moved to the che- learn medicine at the College, which was later to micals giant ICI where his team invented evolve into University of Strathclyde. Among his beta blockers like propranolol, which favourite books as a youth had been Culpepper’s block adrenaline’s efects and went on “The Complete Herbal” an inventory of medici- to become the world’s bestselling drug. nal plants in the UK published in the 17th Cen- BBlack was awarded a Nobel prize for his work in tury. In Africa Livingstone was always seeking 1988. The University of Dundee elected Black as its new remedies for the diseases he found there. Chancellor in 1992 and in 2006 opened the £20m Sir James Black Centre. Today the Centre houses Since Livingstone’s time, Scotland has one of the world’s foremost centres in drug resear- maintained an astonishing contribution to the ch, targeting some of the world’s neglected disea- conquest of disease in the tropics. Later this year ses of the tropics aficting, as they do, the world’s it is hoped that a new drug to treat a disease cal- poorest people with no ability to pay for expensive led African sleeping sickness will be launched. drugs. Sleeping sickness is caused by tiny parasites cal- 1 SULSA, JULY 2017 Scotland’s Drug Scene or many people, if asked about drugs led trypanosomes that are transmitted between in Scotland, they will think of Euan Ma- people by blood sucking tsetse fies. The new Fcgregor disappearing into the bowl of drug, called fexinidazole, or “fexi” for short, can be the “worst toilet in Scotland”, in Danny taken orally as tablets, rather than injections, as is Boyle’s flm rendition of Irvine Welsh’s the case for current sleeping sickness treatments. book “Train Spotting”. Drugs, however, It has been developed over the last 10 years by a Frepresent a critical part of the Scottish economy. Geneva-based group called the Drugs for Neglec- Not the damaging recreational kind, but the me- ted Diseases initiative (DNDi). It was frst shown to dicines that save lives. Scotland has been a global be active against the parasites by Frank Jennings pioneer in the discovery of new drugs. Here we whilst working at the School of Veterinary Me- outline some of Scotland’s landmark contribu- dicine in Glasgow in the 1980s. Alan Fairlamb, tions to this feld. working with the Drug Discovery Unit in Dundee, later showed that fexi is also active against another As early as the middle of the nineteen- neglected parasitic disease called leishmaniasis. th century, Scots were leading the way in drug Interest in developing drugs at the Glasgow vet development. Dr Livingstone, the missionary School had reached its pinnacle when James Bla- explorer from Blantyre near Glasgow, managed ck, from Uddingston, not far from Livingstone’s to navigate his way around Africa where others birthplace in Blantyre, began his research into un- had failed before, through his diligent use of the derstanding the efects of adrenaline on the heart. drug quinine, which killed malaria parasites that had obliterated previous European eforts to ex- plore the African interior. Livingstone had trained as a doctor at Anderson’s college in Glasgow and read that quinine prevents the African fever that killed so many of his predecessors. He added rhu- barb, jalap and a little opium to produce a mixture that was later marketed by the Burrough’s Well- come phamaceutical Company under the name of “Livingstone’s Rousers”. Livingstone, born into poverty, was a benefciary of Scotland’s enligh- tened higher education system. Whilst England, at the beginning of the nineteenth Century, had just the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, ca- tering primarily for the wealthy, Scotland already had four major Universities plus a range of other Figure 1. Sir James Black. Source: www.nms.ac.uk establishments, like Anderson’s college, that cate- red for anyone who could pay. Livingstone made lack was an alumnus of the University of enough money working in a mill to sign up and St Andrews. He later moved to the che- learn medicine at the College, which was later to micals giant ICI where his team invented evolve into University of Strathclyde. Among his beta blockers like propranolol, which favourite books as a youth had been Culpepper’s block adrenaline’s efects and went on “The Complete Herbal” an inventory of medici- to become the world’s bestselling drug. nal plants in the UK published in the 17th Cen- BBlack was awarded a Nobel prize for his work in tury. In Africa Livingstone was always seeking 1988. The University of Dundee elected Black as its new remedies for the diseases he found there. Chancellor in 1992 and in 2006 opened the £20m Sir James Black Centre. Today the Centre houses Since Livingstone’s time, Scotland has one of the world’s foremost centres in drug resear- maintained an astonishing contribution to the ch, targeting some of the world’s neglected disea- conquest of disease in the tropics. Later this year ses of the tropics aficting, as they do, the world’s it is hoped that a new drug to treat a disease cal- poorest people with no ability to pay for expensive led African sleeping sickness will be launched. drugs. Sleeping sickness is caused by tiny parasites cal- 1 1 6 “Scottish scientists have blazed a pathway in bringing their inventions to the clinic” handful of Pharmaceutical giants, Medical innovation stemming from Scottish Uni- steered one compound through the frst steps companies like Pfzer, Astra Zeneca, versities has continued apace. Take Colin Suckling, of clinical development against bacteria that are GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis and Mer- a chemist at the University of Strathclyde. Along resistant to other antibiotics. Suckling believes Ack make huge sums by providing with Hamish Wood, Suckling developed new che- that a wide network of collaborators is essential medicines to keep people healthy. mistry for the large-scale synthesis of a compou- if new chemicals are to be pursued as drugs, and But discovering and developing new nd called leucovorin, which is given in conjunc- linking to an industrial partner imperative to take Adrugs today is an incredibly costly business. It is tion with chemotherapy drugs used to kill some things forward. Currently, Strathclyde compounds estimated that over £1 bn must be invested for types of cancers by interfering with a pathway are being actively evaluated in fve continents each new drug to reach the market place. That known as the folate pathway. Leucovorin helps around the world. The development of these Sco- cost includes all of the many compounds that healthy cells recover from the side efects of such ttish exports is, however, a slow process moving make it to diferent stages of development befo- anticancer drugs like methotrexate. The Universi- from the laboratory to the clinic and will take de- re being dropped, often because of unexpected ty of Strathclyde earned around £6 m in royalties cades before fruits of discovery may be reaped.

Load more