International Master in Sustainable Drug Discovery

ongoing

Medicines play a crucially beneficial role in society, and their importance and use are expected to increase due to the expanding and aging world population. However, the increased use of medicines also heightens the environmental exposure, stressing the eco-system and adversely impacting our long-term health, as exemplified by reproductive disorders by drug residues in the environment and resistance to antibiotics. Moreover, socio-economic equality towards medicines is a global challenge. There is thus a need for a global systematic approach, followed by competent authorities as well as academic, civil and industrial organisations, to take into account sustainability over the entire life cycle of a medicine. Indeed, emphasis should also be paid to sustainability from the “cradle”, i.e. in the drug discovery phase, rather than only at the later stages of product development or clinical stages (the “grave”), in line with tackling the root cause as recommended in 6-sigma lean philosophy. In this International Master of Sciences in Sustainable Drug Discovery (S-DISCO), a unique, transdisciplinary programme is developed, covering a broad range of selected pharmaceutical disciplines, focused on the early discovery phases and intertwined with environmental and socio-economic topics. It is jointly delivered by 4 complementary European universities (i.e. Ghent University, University of Lille, Medical University of Gdansk and University of Groningen) and supported by international experts from industry and relevant (academic) institutions to assure a unique, worldwide excellence and attractiveness. A clear mobility track is proposed, giving the students the opportunity to study and gain specific expertise at the different partner universities.