Posted: 5 March 2024
Monash University and Moderna have together appointed Professor Noelia Nebot as the inaugural Director of the Monash-Moderna Quantitative Pharmacology Accelerator (MMQPA), which was launched in 2023 to drive advancements in homegrown mRNA medicines.
Professor Nebot will be located at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in Parkville, where she will draw on her extensive experience across the pharmaceutical sector to lead a team of scientists dedicated to accelerating the development of new safe and effective mRNA medicines for a broad range of diseases, by harnessing quantitative pharmacology.
Monash and Moderna joined forces last year to establish the five-year program through a $3 million investment by Moderna and substantial in-kind contributions from Moderna and Monash.
Quantitative pharmacology uses mathematical computer models to help describe and predict how medicines will work in the human body. Much like mRNA technology, quantitative pharmacology is a transformative science which has significantly improved the speed, efficiency and safety of the drug development process.
Professor Nebot has joined Monash from her previous role as Vice President of Business Development at C2i Genomics, a US-based AI-genomic software company. Prior to C2i she led the clinical pharmacology programs for various oncology targeted therapies within global pharmaceutical companies, GSK and Novartis.
Director of MIPS, Professor Chris Porter, said Professor Nebot’s experience in drug development working with multidisciplinary teams across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific makes her the ideal candidate to lead this exciting new initiative, which is set to transform Australia’s mRNA medicine development capabilities.
“The MMQPA is a great example of industry and academia coming together to create a critical capability. We’re very excited to welcome Noelia into this new leadership role, which is vital in delivering our goal to help fast-track Australia’s contribution to mRNA drug discovery, development and innovation for a broad range of diseases,” said Professor Porter.
Also joining the MMQPA team is Dr Jess Tait, a MIPS postdoctoral research fellow specialising in mathematical modelling and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics. Dr Tait’s research focuses on next-generation models that draw from diverse data types to enhance drug development strategies, with her unique set of skills very much aligned to achieving MMQPA’s goals.
The MMQPA is the inaugural R&D Accelerator initiative from Moderna’s Regional Research Centre in Respiratory Medicine and Tropical Diseases (RRC) based in Melbourne.
Dr Craig Rayner, Director of the RRC said, “The Program will enable the Monash/Moderna team to tap into globally derived preclinical and clinical data from proprietary Moderna programs and generate world-first insights from cutting edge mRNA scientific data.”
Dr Linh Van, Senior Director and Head of Clinical Pharmacology & Pharmacometrics at Moderna in Boston said, “We are delighted with the appointments of Professor Nebot and Dr Tait. We look forward to working closely with the MMQPA team, to accelerate mRNA medicines to patients through cutting edge quantitative methodologies.”
The major academic leaders of MMQPA at MIPS are quantitative pharmacology experts Professor Carl Kirkpatrick (Academic Director, MMQPA) and Associate Professor Cornelia (Connie) Landersdorfer (Academic Deputy Director, MMQPA) who will work closely with Professor Nebot to build and drive MMQPA.
