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Future training needs in the pharmaceutical sciences: Academia – Industry
European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347–352 www.elsevier.nl / locate / ejps
Commentary
Future training needs in the pharmaceutical sciences: Academia – Industry q Douwe D. Breimer Leiden /Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Received 5 January 2001; accepted 7 January 2001
Abstract The markets for the traditional output of schools of pharmacy, namely education, research and graduates, are changing. The main private client in these markets, the pharmaceutical industry, is moving fast to become more efficient, under pressure from overly costly drug development. The challenges to the industry that emanate from the fantastic rate of advances in the biomedical sciences and pharmaceutical development are considerable. The many agents that were unheard of 10 years ago, such as gene-regulators, together with new technologies, all require new approaches to fundamental pharmaceutical issues. The concept of disciplines in graduate education may have to be reconsidered in the light of the multidisciplinary problems to be tackled. In addition, graduates will need to acquire a range of non-disciplinary skills, such as better communication or team working, in order to be effective in the commercial market place. The concept of ‘research schools’ following either a local or network model may provide the way forward to help academia meet the graduate education needs of industry. The objectives and mission of such institutions must be clearly defined to ensure that the current scientific environment is embraced fully. 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Education; Pharmaceutical sciences; Graduates; Research schools; Pharmaceutical industry
1. Introduction There used to be a time when academia was very much focussed internally, being heavily engaged in education and the production of graduates while doing research for its own sake (Fig. 1). Although these academic activities continue to a great extent, major limitations are emerging. The education market provides opportunities for industry and academia to join forces in the provision of educational or training programmes. The challenge of the labour market is to know which types of competencies and skills graduates now need. In the knowledge market Europe lags behind the USA, needing a greater degree of entrepreneurship in the academic environment, to ensure that knowledge is appropriately transferred and applied. Pharmaceutical companies, in the broadest sense, are major clients for all these markets. It is therefore an q Paper based on Prof Breimer’s presentation to CMR International / EUFEPS Workshop 22 May 2000. Prepared by Brenda Mullinger, Wordpower Projects, Larches, Shipbourne, Kent TN11 9PL. E-mail address: [email protected] (D.D. Breimer).
important issue for academia to be aware that, under the pressure of overly costly drug development, industry is moving fast to become more efficient and more informative and at the same time more innovative in meeting unmet needs.
2. Challenges in pharmaceutical sciences Major challenges are being faced by the pharmaceutical industry over a broad range of topics (Fig. 2). With the introduction of pharmacogenomics, for example, the hope is that once function has been established, mechanisms of dysfunction become clear; adjustment will then cure, rather than just treat, the individual. This is just one of the challenges for pharmaceutical sciences in the coming years. Agents that were unheard of 10 to 15 years ago, such as new classes of mechanism-based small molecules, proteins and other macromolecules, gene-regulating agents (such as oligonucleotides) and gene therapy will be the medicines of the future. Each requires new approaches to the basic
0928-0987 / 01 / $ – see front matter 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S0928-0987( 01 )00099-9
348
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
Fig. 1. Positioning academia.
Fig. 4. Mechanism based safety assessment.
Fig. 2. Target finding.
pharmaceutical issues of quality, production and delivery systems. When it comes to the design of new molecules in future, combinatorial chemistry and high throughput biological screening will produce structural leads (Fig. 3). The major difficulties will come from optimisation of the biological and pharmaceutical properties per se of the drug candidates. Another challenge will emanate from the need to
develop technologies for characterising the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, toxicological and metabolic properties of chemical entities, using ,1 mg of substance. This undoubtedly will require close collaboration between industry and academia. There is a multitude of other challenges associated with, for example, pharmacokinetics, drug delivery systems and formulation research, mechanism based safety assessment (Fig. 4), clinical drug evaluation and pharmaco-epidemiology. This list of disciplines associated with the fantastic rate of pharmaceutical development grows ever longer. The question is, how does it relate to what actually happens in traditional schools or faculties of pharmacy?
Fig. 3. Drug discovery paradigm of the future (R.T. Borchardt, 1998).
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
349
• Experience of industry to assist more intelligent career choices • International exposure to help develop the social and cultural skills needed in a globalised industry
Fig. 5. Relevant emerging disciplines or technologies.
3. Implications for graduate education Traditional disciplines, ranging from pharmaceutical technology to biopharmaceutics are taught extensively, but a variety of emerging disciplines are needed in order to move the field forward (Fig. 5). The concept of disciplines per se may be a stumbling block for progress in sciences since all major challenges are multi-disciplinary, and interrelated, as illustrated in Fig. 6. A report published in (Triggle and Miller, 1999) on graduate education in pharmaceutical sciences identified the following non-disciplinary needs for students: • More scientific breadth to facilitate effective communication with other scientists • Greater involvement in multidisciplinary research projects to aid better functioning on project teams • Opportunities to refine written and verbal communication skills • Greater access to computers / computing networks to better handle the explosion of new information • Exposure to ethical issues that may be encountered in future professional activities
4. Research schools / institutes Awareness of many of these issues, starting in the early 1990s, has led in Europe to the establishment of ‘research schools’. These can be defined as: ‘‘a university based research institute of international standing which provides the structural environment for ( post) graduate research training’’. A single university containing all necessary disciplines defines the ‘local’ model. ULLA (Uppsala, Leiden, London and Amsterdam) is an example of the ‘network’ model where departments of several universities collaborate. Also Paris-Sud and Copenhagen have recently joined. Research schools are being established to improve the quality of research training in a multidisciplinary environment, to enhance efficiency in the use of resources and to match human resources for research to science policy priorities. With respect to the latter developments industry plays a major role. To build and maintain a stimulating and creative environment for students within a research school calls for minimal hierarchy, appreciation of individual’s initiatives and judgement based on performance. The organisation of such a research school can follow the model shown in Fig.
Fig. 6. Drug delivery-PK / PD (D.D. Breimer, 1994).
350
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
Fig. 7. Organisational structure for research institute or school.
7, essentially that adopted by the Leiden /Amsterdam Center for Drug Research.
5. Career perspectives Career perspectives within an academic environment need to be reconsidered. For instance the concept of a fixed ‘chair’ should be abolished so that chairs are awarded on
an individual basis of merit. Likewise, mechanisms are needed to help people who are no longer productive to move out of the academic environment. ‘‘The turnover of science in the pharmaceutical sciences is considerably higher than the turnover of pharmaceutical scientists’’. Although this is a problem for industry as well as academia, within a company alternative career paths are often available. There is less flexibility within academia; therefore there needs to be more emphasis than placed in
Fig. 8. Schools of Pharmacy, New Graduate Training Paradigm (R.T. Borchardt, 1998).
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
351
Fig. 9. Schools of Pharmacy Old Graduate Training Paradigm (R.T. Borchardt, 1998).
the past on selecting the best people with the best prospects.
6. The way forward The question now is not so much ‘‘Are we doing things right?’’ as ‘‘Are we doing the right things?’’. Schools or faculties of pharmacy / pharmaceutical sciences in many instances need to re-define their objectives, mission and strategy. For example the mission of the Leiden /Amsterdam Center for Drug research is: • To excel in multidisciplinary drug research • To provide high quality training programmes in pharmaceutical sciences This statement defines both the basic infrastructure and the expertise of staff scientists. The challenge in implementing such a mission is to take
into account the scientific environment; this in turn calls for the development of strategic alliances with other disciplines (Fig. 8). The types of alliances that can add value within universities are largely dependent on new scientific challenges as well as sources of funding such as government, national research councils or the EU programme. There is also a need to develop strategic alliances and partnerships with industry to a far greater extent, particularly in the form of long-term major commitments. In Fig. 9 the risk of non adjustment of schools of pharmacy toward the future is clearly depicted! A positive recent development in continental Europe is the agreement amongst ministers that there should be harmonised academic education throughout Europe (Fig. 10). Known as the ‘Bologna Declaration’ the model proposed seems very much like the UK system. Such a development will facilitate resolving some of the issues being discussed in this paper. Finally, EUFEPS has discussed training needs in terms of establishing a virtual platform, which one might call a
Fig. 10. Future model of harmonized academic education in the EU.
352
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
‘European School of Excellence in the Pharmaceutical Sciences’. Its role would be to identify areas that currently are inadequately addressed and to organise courses for the pharmaceutical industry and academia together. This way forward could help facilitate further developments in meeting training needs in pharmaceutical sciences.
References Triggle, D.J., Miller, K.W., 1999. Commission on the future of graduate education in the pharmaceutical sciences: Final report. Am. J. Pharm. Education 63, 218–248. Borchardt, R.T. Plenary Lecture on the future of Pharmaceutical Education at Annual meeting of AAPS in San Francisco, 1998.
Commentary
Future training needs in the pharmaceutical sciences: Academia – Industry q Douwe D. Breimer Leiden /Amsterdam Center for Drug Research, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9502, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Received 5 January 2001; accepted 7 January 2001
Abstract The markets for the traditional output of schools of pharmacy, namely education, research and graduates, are changing. The main private client in these markets, the pharmaceutical industry, is moving fast to become more efficient, under pressure from overly costly drug development. The challenges to the industry that emanate from the fantastic rate of advances in the biomedical sciences and pharmaceutical development are considerable. The many agents that were unheard of 10 years ago, such as gene-regulators, together with new technologies, all require new approaches to fundamental pharmaceutical issues. The concept of disciplines in graduate education may have to be reconsidered in the light of the multidisciplinary problems to be tackled. In addition, graduates will need to acquire a range of non-disciplinary skills, such as better communication or team working, in order to be effective in the commercial market place. The concept of ‘research schools’ following either a local or network model may provide the way forward to help academia meet the graduate education needs of industry. The objectives and mission of such institutions must be clearly defined to ensure that the current scientific environment is embraced fully. 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Education; Pharmaceutical sciences; Graduates; Research schools; Pharmaceutical industry
1. Introduction There used to be a time when academia was very much focussed internally, being heavily engaged in education and the production of graduates while doing research for its own sake (Fig. 1). Although these academic activities continue to a great extent, major limitations are emerging. The education market provides opportunities for industry and academia to join forces in the provision of educational or training programmes. The challenge of the labour market is to know which types of competencies and skills graduates now need. In the knowledge market Europe lags behind the USA, needing a greater degree of entrepreneurship in the academic environment, to ensure that knowledge is appropriately transferred and applied. Pharmaceutical companies, in the broadest sense, are major clients for all these markets. It is therefore an q Paper based on Prof Breimer’s presentation to CMR International / EUFEPS Workshop 22 May 2000. Prepared by Brenda Mullinger, Wordpower Projects, Larches, Shipbourne, Kent TN11 9PL. E-mail address: [email protected] (D.D. Breimer).
important issue for academia to be aware that, under the pressure of overly costly drug development, industry is moving fast to become more efficient and more informative and at the same time more innovative in meeting unmet needs.
2. Challenges in pharmaceutical sciences Major challenges are being faced by the pharmaceutical industry over a broad range of topics (Fig. 2). With the introduction of pharmacogenomics, for example, the hope is that once function has been established, mechanisms of dysfunction become clear; adjustment will then cure, rather than just treat, the individual. This is just one of the challenges for pharmaceutical sciences in the coming years. Agents that were unheard of 10 to 15 years ago, such as new classes of mechanism-based small molecules, proteins and other macromolecules, gene-regulating agents (such as oligonucleotides) and gene therapy will be the medicines of the future. Each requires new approaches to the basic
0928-0987 / 01 / $ – see front matter 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S0928-0987( 01 )00099-9
348
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
Fig. 1. Positioning academia.
Fig. 4. Mechanism based safety assessment.
Fig. 2. Target finding.
pharmaceutical issues of quality, production and delivery systems. When it comes to the design of new molecules in future, combinatorial chemistry and high throughput biological screening will produce structural leads (Fig. 3). The major difficulties will come from optimisation of the biological and pharmaceutical properties per se of the drug candidates. Another challenge will emanate from the need to
develop technologies for characterising the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, toxicological and metabolic properties of chemical entities, using ,1 mg of substance. This undoubtedly will require close collaboration between industry and academia. There is a multitude of other challenges associated with, for example, pharmacokinetics, drug delivery systems and formulation research, mechanism based safety assessment (Fig. 4), clinical drug evaluation and pharmaco-epidemiology. This list of disciplines associated with the fantastic rate of pharmaceutical development grows ever longer. The question is, how does it relate to what actually happens in traditional schools or faculties of pharmacy?
Fig. 3. Drug discovery paradigm of the future (R.T. Borchardt, 1998).
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
349
• Experience of industry to assist more intelligent career choices • International exposure to help develop the social and cultural skills needed in a globalised industry
Fig. 5. Relevant emerging disciplines or technologies.
3. Implications for graduate education Traditional disciplines, ranging from pharmaceutical technology to biopharmaceutics are taught extensively, but a variety of emerging disciplines are needed in order to move the field forward (Fig. 5). The concept of disciplines per se may be a stumbling block for progress in sciences since all major challenges are multi-disciplinary, and interrelated, as illustrated in Fig. 6. A report published in (Triggle and Miller, 1999) on graduate education in pharmaceutical sciences identified the following non-disciplinary needs for students: • More scientific breadth to facilitate effective communication with other scientists • Greater involvement in multidisciplinary research projects to aid better functioning on project teams • Opportunities to refine written and verbal communication skills • Greater access to computers / computing networks to better handle the explosion of new information • Exposure to ethical issues that may be encountered in future professional activities
4. Research schools / institutes Awareness of many of these issues, starting in the early 1990s, has led in Europe to the establishment of ‘research schools’. These can be defined as: ‘‘a university based research institute of international standing which provides the structural environment for ( post) graduate research training’’. A single university containing all necessary disciplines defines the ‘local’ model. ULLA (Uppsala, Leiden, London and Amsterdam) is an example of the ‘network’ model where departments of several universities collaborate. Also Paris-Sud and Copenhagen have recently joined. Research schools are being established to improve the quality of research training in a multidisciplinary environment, to enhance efficiency in the use of resources and to match human resources for research to science policy priorities. With respect to the latter developments industry plays a major role. To build and maintain a stimulating and creative environment for students within a research school calls for minimal hierarchy, appreciation of individual’s initiatives and judgement based on performance. The organisation of such a research school can follow the model shown in Fig.
Fig. 6. Drug delivery-PK / PD (D.D. Breimer, 1994).
350
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
Fig. 7. Organisational structure for research institute or school.
7, essentially that adopted by the Leiden /Amsterdam Center for Drug Research.
5. Career perspectives Career perspectives within an academic environment need to be reconsidered. For instance the concept of a fixed ‘chair’ should be abolished so that chairs are awarded on
an individual basis of merit. Likewise, mechanisms are needed to help people who are no longer productive to move out of the academic environment. ‘‘The turnover of science in the pharmaceutical sciences is considerably higher than the turnover of pharmaceutical scientists’’. Although this is a problem for industry as well as academia, within a company alternative career paths are often available. There is less flexibility within academia; therefore there needs to be more emphasis than placed in
Fig. 8. Schools of Pharmacy, New Graduate Training Paradigm (R.T. Borchardt, 1998).
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
351
Fig. 9. Schools of Pharmacy Old Graduate Training Paradigm (R.T. Borchardt, 1998).
the past on selecting the best people with the best prospects.
6. The way forward The question now is not so much ‘‘Are we doing things right?’’ as ‘‘Are we doing the right things?’’. Schools or faculties of pharmacy / pharmaceutical sciences in many instances need to re-define their objectives, mission and strategy. For example the mission of the Leiden /Amsterdam Center for Drug research is: • To excel in multidisciplinary drug research • To provide high quality training programmes in pharmaceutical sciences This statement defines both the basic infrastructure and the expertise of staff scientists. The challenge in implementing such a mission is to take
into account the scientific environment; this in turn calls for the development of strategic alliances with other disciplines (Fig. 8). The types of alliances that can add value within universities are largely dependent on new scientific challenges as well as sources of funding such as government, national research councils or the EU programme. There is also a need to develop strategic alliances and partnerships with industry to a far greater extent, particularly in the form of long-term major commitments. In Fig. 9 the risk of non adjustment of schools of pharmacy toward the future is clearly depicted! A positive recent development in continental Europe is the agreement amongst ministers that there should be harmonised academic education throughout Europe (Fig. 10). Known as the ‘Bologna Declaration’ the model proposed seems very much like the UK system. Such a development will facilitate resolving some of the issues being discussed in this paper. Finally, EUFEPS has discussed training needs in terms of establishing a virtual platform, which one might call a
Fig. 10. Future model of harmonized academic education in the EU.
352
D.D. Breimer / European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 12 (2001) 347 – 352
‘European School of Excellence in the Pharmaceutical Sciences’. Its role would be to identify areas that currently are inadequately addressed and to organise courses for the pharmaceutical industry and academia together. This way forward could help facilitate further developments in meeting training needs in pharmaceutical sciences.
References Triggle, D.J., Miller, K.W., 1999. Commission on the future of graduate education in the pharmaceutical sciences: Final report. Am. J. Pharm. Education 63, 218–248. Borchardt, R.T. Plenary Lecture on the future of Pharmaceutical Education at Annual meeting of AAPS in San Francisco, 1998.