with Julia Schaletzky Ph.D. of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases and the Drug Discovery Center at UC Berkeley
Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Terra Linda High School Innovation Hub
Description: Antibiotics are one of the triumphs of science and we have become used to them as “silver bullets”, fighting potentially life-threatening infections. As drug-resistant pathogens continue to emerge, what are our options? Why are so few new antibiotics being developed and how do we have to think about the market-driven model of drug development in this context? Dr. Schaletzky will provide an overview about chemistry, discovery/development, overuse and the economics of antibiotic development, and discuss potential solutions to a problem that should be on everyone’s mind.
Bio.: Dr. Julia Schaletzky is the Executive Director of the Center for Emerging and Neglected Diseases and the Drug Discovery Center at UC Berkeley. After studying biochemistry in her native Germany, she moved to Harvard Medical School for graduate school. Interested in applied science, Dr. Schaletzky joined a biotechnology company, Cytokinetics, to develop new therapies for heart disease and neurodegenerative disorders, with several molecules in late-stage clinical trials. In her role at UC Berkeley, she focuses on interdisciplinary approaches and public/private partnership for the discovery and development of new therapies and tools, particularly for unmet medical needs. Dr. Schaletzky is also is a lecturer at the Haas School of Business, teaching Bioentrepreneurship, Access to Medicines and Drug Development for Neglected Diseases. She has received NIH-funded grants to support underrepresented minorities and women in STEM in the U.S. and runs a program in Uganda to build local research capacity. Dr. Schaletzky is broadly interested in global public health, bioethics, and the governance of processes that end up influencing who gets care and who does not.
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