Webinar: The Real Impact of In Vitro Kidney Models: Better Data, Safer Drugs

Join us for our next fireside chat in May 2025, where you can hear our 2 panelists Dr Rodrigues and Dr Katz, moderated by Dr Colin Brown, discussing the real impact of in vitro kidney models in producing higher quality data and ultimately safer drugs.

Speakers

Dr David Rodrigues, PhD – Associate VP Head of Drug Metabolism & Nonclinical Pharmacokinetics – Incyte (Wilmington, Delaware)

David has had a 35-year track record as a drug metabolism-pharmacokinetics (DMPK) scientist at various US-based pharmaceutical companies (Searle, Abbott, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Pfizer). He is currently at Incyte (Wilmington, Delaware) serving as Associate VP Head of Drug Metabolism & Nonclinical Pharmacokinetics. Throughout his career he has maintained his passion for the science. This is reflected in his sustained contributions to multiple company pipelines and effective partnerships with academia and various CROs. David is a Fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and is the recipient of both the 2021 North American Distinguished Accomplishments in Drug Discovery & Development Award (International Society for the Study of Xenobiotics, ISSX) and the 2023 Distinguished Investigator Award (American College of Clinical Pharmacology, ACCP). David has authored 198 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presented at nearly 100 national/international scientific symposia, served as reviewer and editorial board member for different DMPK journals, and has been Editor of four DMPK-related textbooks.

Dr Elad Katz, PhD – Founder – Navigate Precision Biology

Dr. Elad Katz is a distinguished cell biologist and entrepreneur, renowned for his contributions to precision medicine and complex biology. He is the founder of Navigate Precision Biology, a spin-out from the University of Dundee, dedicated to advancing personalised treatments through innovative technologies. Dr. Katz earned his Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow and has held significant positions at the University of Dundee’s School of Life Sciences. He played a key role in commercialising Navigate Precision Oncology, focusing on enhancing personalised cancer patient care.

Dr. Katz’s research has garnered significant recognition, with over 1,800 citations, reflecting his impact on the scientific community. His expertise includes disease models, complex biology, and the development of advanced 3D cell culture systems to bridge the gap between organoid research and drug discovery. Through his leadership at Navigate Precision Biology, Dr. Katz continues to drive innovations that aim to transform patient-specific therapeutic strategies in chronic diseases.

Dr Colin Brown, PhD – Chief Scientific Officer – Newcells Biotech

Colin was born in Edinburgh, grew up in Fife and was awarded his PhD by the University of St Andrews. He then was a Royal Society European Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Zurich. Following on from this Dr Brown was a Wellcome Senior Research Fellow at Manchester University. He was then an Associate Professor in the Institute of Cell & Molecular Biosciences for nearly 30 years. Dr Brown is a leading expert in kidney transport, with research interests in renal, hepatic and GI drug transporters.

He has developed and commercialised several primary cell-based assays for measuring kidney transport and toxicity and has authored over 100 publications and several book chapters and been an invited speaker at numerous conferences around the world. He has been a mentor to 16 PhD students and numerous undergraduate and Masters students. Dr Brown is a past Chair of the AAPS Drug Transporter Focus group and a member of the PPDM executive. He was involved in the organisation of 4 AAPS DTFG Bench to Bedside workshop including two as Chair.