University of Glasgow leads the way in drug treatments

How to get the right treatment to the right patient at the right time

University of Glasgow leads the way in new global drug treatments

The University of Glasgow is launching the first ever Masters programme designed to specifically address the new paradigm in drug discovery – “stratified medicine” – which tailors drug therapies to individual patients’ genetic makeup.

The University of Glasgow is at the forefront of stratified medicine, which involves examining the genetic makeup of patients and their differing responses to drugs designed to treat specific diseases – the “right treatment to the right patient at the right time”.

The course director of the new MSc in Clinical Trials and Stratified Medicine, Professor Matthew Walters, said: “Stratified Medicine holds huge potential in the timely development of new treatments for human disease. It is among the most important concepts to emerge in 21stcentury clinical science and will be a crucial component of the global drive to increase the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of new treatments.”

He added: “There has been global recognition of the need for training in this area so that we have young drug researchers in academia and the commercial environment imbued with the skills required to apply the science for the benefit of patients.”

Glasgow is also home to the Stratified Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre, which combines cutting-edge genetic research with state-of-the-art health informatics and imaging technologies. It is a unique collaboration in healthcare between partners from academia, the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry.

There is already huge interest in stratified medicine and pharmaceutical science in Saudi Arabia, said Professor Walters.

China also has a nascent clinical trials industry and Professor Walters is keen to involve Chinese students and academics in this area.

“One of the elements we need to be clear about is whether medicines have the same impact across different populations. People handle drugs differently in different parts of the globe. There will be a significant need for people in China with these skills to be running clinical trials over the next few decades,” he said.

The University of Glasgow’s new taught MSc, which is designed for international students, provides focused training that integrates basic and clinical sciences and develops the essential skills required to design, execute and evaluate modern clinical studies.

The programme is designed to give students an understanding of statistical methods used to evaluate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of new treatments, and direct experience of how all of these techniques are applied by academic and industrial researchers in the development of new medicines.

Students will undertake core and optional courses that will allow them to personalise their degree to align it with their future career aspirations; they will also be offered a choice of project to undertake. Graduates from this course will be competitively placed to apply for positions in the commercial life sciences sector or for PhD study in an academic or combined commercial and academic environment.

An International scholarship of £10,000 is available for this programme. We also have 5 x £10,000 Joseph Lister scholarships available to applicants from Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Thailand. http://www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/mvls/graduateschool/prospectivestudents/pgtscholarships/

Home and EU students are eligible to apply for scholarships worth £3,000 http://www.gla.ac.uk/scholarships/

MSc in Clinical Trials and Stratified Medicine: http://www.gla.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/clinicaltrialsstratifiedmedicine/

Professor Matthew Walters http://www.gla.ac.uk/researchinstitutes/icams/staff/matthewwalters/

Stratified Medicine http://www.gla.ac.uk/research/infocus/themes/stratifiedmedicine/

ENDS

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