INSPIRE: Cardiovascular Safety Pharmacology and Cardio-Oncology

About

The INSPIRE Summer School offers an intensive and interactive 5-day program on Cardiovascular Safety Pharmacology and Cardio-Oncology. Built as a multidisciplinary course, this training consists of theoretical lectures complemented by hands-on sessions in associated technologies. This course is a continuation of the EU-funded collaborative training network in safety pharmacology INSPIRE (www.inspire-safety-pharmacology.eu), which in the past three years has built a training program benefiting from the academic, industrial, and clinical perspectives by exploring the latest technological capabilities to address emerging cardiovascular and cardio-oncology safety concerns.

The programme starts with a refresher on cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. Next, speakers from leading pharma companies will provide insight in the process of drug development and the importance of clinical safety. The regulatory landscape of drug development and safety evaluation will be elaborated, as well as a description of key methods implemented in Safety Pharmacology to identify adverse effects of drug candidates early on. A few case studies of failed drug candidates will be discussed as well. Further, clinical cases of drug-related cardiovascular complications presented by cardiologists will provide a wider perspective on the topic. More specifically, the discipline of cardio-oncology will be discussed in detail. With increasing survival rates of cancer patients, the long(er)-term effects of anticancer treatment (i.e. cardiac toxicity) are receiving more scrutiny. In this context, the programme will conclude with highlighting academic research to evaluate the detrimental effects of many anticancer drugs on endothelial cells. Endothelial cells are the inner lining of the vascular system and play a pivotal role in vascular physiology and pathophysiology. At the end of the programme, students will have gained a comprehensive view of the topic of cardiovascular (patho)physiology and how these mechanisms should be taken into account and screened for during drug development.

Target group

Master graduate students, PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and professionals in the field of Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences and other Life Sciences (including Bio-Medical Sciences and Bio-Engineering).

Course aim

Understanding drug development and the challenge of evaluating drug safety and adverse events (i.e. safety pharmacology and pharmacovigilance)
Refresher of key concepts in cardiovascular regulation and pathologies.
Getting insights in current state-of-the-art methodologies and emerging challenges in cardiovascular safety pharmaoclogy evaluation; and adressing these topics from the perspective of pharma companies, regulatory agencies and patients.
Providing inspiration and tools for active career development (i.e. drafting a career development plan).
Developing skills for effective dissemination of scientific results towards different audiences.

Fee info

The tuition fee includes course material coffee breaks, lunches and social activities. It does not include housing, travel arrangements, breakfast, and dinner on the course days.