Bio-Medical and Drug Discovery Group
Key staff: Dr Laurence Harbige, Dr Mike Leach, Professor Tony Mallet and Dr Solomon Habtemariam
Scientists in this group have pharmaceutical industry and hospital pedigrees. They collaborate both nationally and internationally with biomedical and industrial institutions and have both ongoing enterprise and basic science activities. They have over 50 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry in pre-clinical drug discovery and clinical development, and expertise in the fields of medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, immunology and neuroscience.
Recent projects
- Novel treatments for relapse remitting multiple sclerosis, in collaboration with both Guy’s, King’s College and St Thomas’ Hospitals and the British Technology Group (BTG).
- Pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, including pathogenic biomarkers, lipid metabolism, cytokines, chemokines, and adhesion molecules.
- Basic science studies with the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research (University College London) on sodium channels.
- Chemical synthesis and biological profiling of sodium channel blockers as therapeutic agents in the central nervous system, leading to the filing of patents on potential therapeutic agents.
- Sodium channel blockers as potential neuro-immunomodulators.
- Investigation of epilepsy, stroke and vascular disease, for which the group has clinical contacts and pharmaceutical interest.
- Pathogenesis and treatment of pre-eclampsia and vascular disease.
- In vitro cell culture evaluation of natural products on cytokines, adhesion molecules and apoptosis.
Publications
Gao, Z., Milnes, J. T., Choisy, S. C., Leach, M. J., Hancox, L. C., and James, A. F. (2005) The neuroprotective agent sipatrigine blocks multiple cardiac ion channels and causes triangulation of the ventricular action potential. Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol., 32 (12), pp. 1088–96.
Garthwaite, J. G., Leach, M. J., and Riddall, D. R. (2006) A novel drug binding site on voltage-gated sodium channels. Mol. Pharmacol., 69 (1), pp. 278–87.
Greaves, K., Dixon, S. R., Coker, I. O., Mallet, A. I., Avkiran, M., Shattock, M. J., Fejka, M. J., O’Neill, W. W., Senior, S., Redwood, S., and Marber, M. S. (2004) Influence of isoprostane F2alpha-III on reflow after myocardial infarction. Eur. Heart J. 25 (10), pp. 847–853.
Harbige, L. S., Hollifield, R. D., Pinto, E., Xiang, M., Leach, M., and Sharief, M. K. (2006) Polyunsaturated fatty acids in the pathogenesis and treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids.
Harbige, L. S., Leach, M. J., Barraclough, P. B., and Dolan, A. P. (2006) Cytokine modulators using cyclic glycerides of essential polyunsaturated fatty acid. Patent: WO 2006092623.
Hollifield, R. D., Harbige, L. S., Pham-Dinh, D., and Sharief, M. K. (2003) Evidence for cytokine dysregulation in multiple sclerosis: peripheral blood mononuclear cell production of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines during relapse and remission. Autoimmunity, 36 (3), pp. 33–41.
Palmer, R.A., Potter, B.S., Leach, M., and Chowdhry, B.Z. (2007). X-ray crystallographic structures of neuroprotective pyrimidine derivatives: (I) the mesylate salt of BW1003C87 and (II) sipatrigine base (BW619C89). J. Chem Crystallogy. 37 (771-777).
Poston, L., and Mallet, A. (2002) No evidence for lipid peroxidation in severe preeclampsia. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 187 (4), 1118 pp.
Sharief, M. K., Harbige, L. S., Leach, M. J., and Barraclough, P. B. (2006) Treatment of neurodegenerative conditions. Patent: NO 20061232.
Sharief, M. K., Leach, M. J., and Harbige, L. S. (2004) Treatment of neurodegenerative conditions. Patent: US 2004229873.