Citizen Science Program Presents
Mark McKinlay, Ph.D.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Fisher Center, Sosnoff Theater
7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
"What do a cold and polio have in common?"
It would come as a surprise to many just how similar the rhinoviruses that cause the common cold are to the polioviruses that caused more than 350,000 cases of paralytic poliomyelitis worldwide each year in the 1980s. A decade before the Bard freshman class was born, Mark McKinlay, working with two research technicians at a pharmaceutical company in upstate New York, discovered a new class of antiviral agent that had the ability to stop replication of rhinoviruses in the lab. While the synthesis of hundreds of new compounds was underway to find one with the ability to inhibit the vast majority of the 99 distinct serotypes of rhinovirus, the team searched for an animal infection model in which to test the compounds. Since no accessible animal models for rhinovirus infections existed, the team looked for a related virus infection model and identified poliovirus infection in mice as an option. Poliovirus is structurally and genetically similar to rhinovirus and the new compounds had activity against both rhinovirus and poliovirus. The company tested three compounds in humans extensively before advancing pleconaril, a compound with the activity and safety needed to move it forward toward product registration. Pleconaril tablets were clinically evaluated for safety and efficacy over a 10 year period in more than 5,000 subjects. The two large registration trials resulted in the first demonstration that an antiviral could shorten the duration and efficacy of the common cold. Despite the convincing demonstration of efficacy, the FDA in 2002 made the decision to not approve pleconaril due to a potential safety concern associated with the use of pleconaril beyond the recommended 5 day dosing period.
In 2007, hope increased that poliovirus could soon be eradicated. Polio was set to be the second human virus to be eradicated after smallpox. The National Research Council held a meeting to ask the question, is there a need to develop an antiviral compound(s) as part of the eradication effort, to treat immune deficient patients who continue to excrete neurovirulent poliovirus years after receiving the live oral Sabin vaccine? The most advanced compound that has now been advanced into late stage human testing in poliovirus-infected patients is a direct descendant of the drug class first discovered by Mark’s team in the 80s to treat the common cold.
Dr. McKinlay is the Director of the Center for Vaccine Equity and Program Director for the Polio Antiviral Initiative at The Task Force for Global Health in Decatur, GA. The Task Force’s mission is to reduce the global burden of disease through delivery of therapeutics and vaccines and the building of sustainable public health systems. The Center for Vaccine Equities mission is to assure the equitable use of vaccines globally. The Center is presently working with partners on the eradication of polio and introduction of influenza vaccine into developing countries.
Prior to joining the Task Force in 2012, Dr. McKinlay was involved in various aspects of drug discovery and development R&D in the private sector. Most recently Dr. McKinlay was co-founder, Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President for Research and Development of TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals based in Malvern, PA from 2004-2012. At TetraLogic, Dr. McKinlay led the team that discovered and developed a novel, best in class drug targeting the Inhibitors of Apoptotic Proteins for the treatment of cancer. From 1994-2004, Dr. McKinlay co-founded ViroPharma Incorporated (acquired in 2014 by Shire) and served as Vice President of R&D where he led the development of an antiviral agent that culminated in the first clinical demonstration that an antiviral can affect the duration and severity of the common cold. From 1980-1994 Dr. McKinlay served in varying roles including Senior Director, Virology and Oncopharmacology in the research group at Sterling Drug where he discovered a novel class of antiviral agents and advanced three of these agents into clinical trials. While at Sterling Drug he demonstrated that oral delivery of an antiviral agent was effective in preventing poliovirus-induced paralysis in mice.
Dr. McKinlay received his undergraduate degree from Union College in Schenectady, NY, his master’s and doctoral degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in molecular virology in the Division of Biophysics at The Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD.
For more information, call 845-758-6822.
Time: 7:00 pm EST/GMT-5
Location: Fisher Center, Sosnoff Theater