Certara, a global provider in model-informed drug development and regulatory science, announced that Leigh Farrell, Ph.D., Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Business Development, is presenting the inaugural Certara New Investigator Awards in association with the Australasian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (ASCEPT). The presentation will take place today at the Australasian Pharmaceutical Science Association (APSA) and ASCEPT Joint Scientific Meeting at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. These new Certara awards recognize graduate investigators that are excelling in clinical and experimental pharmacology and toxicology.

“The demand for scientists who are experienced at employing computer modeling and simulation to improve drug development processes and further the use of precision medicine is growing rapidly worldwide,” said Craig Rayner, PharmD, President of d3 Medicine, a Certara company based in Melbourne, Australia.

“Certara is excited to sponsor the Certara New Investigator Awards. We are very impressed by the quality of the research programs being undertaken by the inaugural award recipients. Certara is committed to help train drug developers, pharmacometricians and regulatory scientists to meet those global needs. For example, in addition to this new investigator awards program, we also launched the Certara-Monash University Industry Fellowship Program in October. That program, which has joint funding from MTPConnect, will identify and develop the next generation of industry-experienced drug development scientists through training in clinical pharmacology, pharmacometrics and regulatory science,” Dr. Farrell added.

The Certara New Investigator Award winners, and the focus of their research, are as follows:

• Jennifer Deuis, The University of Queensland—Developing the next generation of analgesics
• Jenni Ilomaki, Monash University—The use of oral anticoagulants in people with dementia
• Prasad Nishtala, University of Otago, New Zealand—Big data: Driving innovation for geriatric pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance research
• Andrew Rowland, Flinders University—Strategies for precision use of targeted anti-cancer medicines

Each investigator will present highlights from their research at the APSA-ASCEPT Joint Scientific Meeting and receive a monetary award and a certificate. 

Modeling and simulation is a diverse and dynamic discipline which underpins all aspects of drug development and precision medicine as illustrated by the range of research projects being conducted by these new investigators.

Underscoring that point, Certara’s d3 Medicine was selected in April to conduct a national audit of Australia’s medical countermeasures (MCM) product research and development capabilities and capacity. MCM include vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics against chemical, biological and radiological threats; emerging infectious diseases and pandemics. d3 Medicine is also partnering with Monash University on modeling and simulation projects ranging from pandemic infectious disease preparedness programs to new respiratory viral agents and anti-cancer therapies.