Dr Mike Tymianski
Professor Dr Mike Tymianski
Dr Tymianski is the Head of the Division of Neurosurgery and a Senior Scientist at the University Health Network, Canada’s largest hospital system, in Toronto. He is a Professor in the Dept. of Surgery, University of Toronto, and holds the Harold and Esther Halpern Chair in Neurosurgical Stroke Research and a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Translational Stroke Research.
Dr Tymianski practices cerebrovascular and skull base neurosurgery. As a scientist his long-term research goal is to devise pharmacological strategies to protect the brain following acute or chronic neurological insults, and especially ischemic insults. To this end, Dr Tymianski heads a research laboratory dedicated to the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration. His most advanced contribution relates to the development of PSD95 inhibitors, currently in phase 3 clinical trials. Dr Tymianski is also the CEO of NoNO Inc, a biotechnology company sponsoring these clinical trials.
Due to his experience in both fundamental and translational stroke research, Dr Tymianski has become an influential figure in translational stroke research and clinical stroke trials, and contributes influential reviews of these topics. He is currently the inventor on 95 patents, has trained 30 trainees at the MSc, PhD, and Post-Doctoral levels, and has had extensive peer-review research funding from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Stroke Network, and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.
Abbie Memorial Lecture | Anatomy of stroke drug development: A David and Goliath Story | Tuesday 25 October 2016
This presentation will cover the process of translational neuroscience as it pertains to the development of a drug for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke from moleclular target discovery, through to phase 3 clinical trials. The neurobiology of ischemic cell death, target discovery and the development of a neuroprotectant based on this target will also be considered.
The presentation will describe the academic aspects of drug development, including target validation and validation of efficacy in preclinical stroke models including in rodents and non-human primates. The process of transition from academic laboratory discovery to human studies that require extensive preclinical safety and pharmacology studies, drug manufacturing, and clinical trial design will be described. Business and regulatory aspects of translational stroke research will also be discussed. Finally, the various challenges and opportunities associated with stroke drug development as the process progresses from bench to bedside will be emphasized.
Lecture Recording
Recorded 12 October 2016 at the University of Adelaide