On Tuesday, May 25th, Dr. Ahmed Thabet, Chair, and Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, gave an online webinar titled “Computational Simulation and Molecular Docking: Applications in the Field of Drug Discovery and Development” in the Waterfalls live webinars. The webinar had three primary learning objectives:
- Indicate various roles of computational and molecular docking studies in the field of drug design and drug discovery.
- Describe some applications of molecular docking studies in the development of selective inhibitors.
- Explain the use of molecular docking simulations in drug delivery and targeting.
Dr. Ahmed presented on how various computational approaches and molecular docking simulations can be applied in a helpful way to enhance the process of drug discovery and development. He also talked about how such approaches could save money and time in the drug discovery process and can possibly enrich the scientific community to further develop more effective therapies. Dr. Ahmed presented some applications from his previous and current research work. The applications he mentioned in the webinar mainly focused on drug delivery and targeting the anti-viral drug sofosbuvir for the treatment of hepatitis C. In addition, applications in the development of isoform-selective histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as cytotoxic agents and potential anti-cancer agents were mentioned.
Professor Sherief Khalifa, Vice Chancellor for Quality & Global engagement and Dean, College of Pharmacy commented: We are both honored and delighted to contribute to the ‘Waterfalls’ initiative by the Ministry of Possibilities fostering the free exchange of knowledge and science throughout the world.