Ambassador Andrew H. Schapiro opened the lecture “Drug Discovery Goes Back to School” given by Barbara S. Slusher, PhD, MAS, who is Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, and Director, Brain Science Institute Drug Discovery Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The lecture took place on February 5 at the American Center. Deputy Minister of Health Josef Vymazal’s survey of Czech–U.S. collaboration on scientific research projects followed Ambassador Schapiro’s speech.
Barbara Slusher highlighted a joint drug discovery project between Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.) and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic. The research is focused on the identification of proprietary prodrugs of the enzyme human Glutamate Carboxy-Peptidase II (GCPII), inhibitors with broad therapeutic utility ranging from Crohn disease, inflammatory bowel disease, schizophrenia, stroke, and cognition improvement in multiple sclerosis.
Czech physicians, academics and experts in the field of neurology participated together with their American colleagues that work in Czech scientific research institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences and hospitals.
Professor Slusher’s lecture will be followed by lectures and seminars on joint Czech- American scientific research projects for professional audience at the American Center.
