Dr Shampa Das
Dr Shampa Das, a Senior Lecturer in Antimicrobial Pharmacodynamics (PD) from the University’s Department of Molecular and Clinical Pharmacology, has been appointed to join the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) Steering Committee as a PD/Pharmacokinetics (PK) expert.
EUCAST was launched in 1997 in order determine, review and revise European clinical breakpoints, the concentration of an antibiotic which defines where a bacterium is susceptible or resistant, in close collaboration with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
Antimicrobial pharmacodynamics is the branch of pharmacology that examines how a drug affects bacteria and is a requirement for the development of drug treatments.
Pharmacokinetics is a branch of pharmacology concerned with how drugs move through and out of the body.
Dr Das has previously been employed as a Director of Clinical Pharmacology at the Antibiotics Unit, AstraZeneca. She has vast experience with drug development, preclinical PK/PD and clinical support to aid optimal dose selection, as well as extensive experience with the regulatory process.
Of the appointment Dr Das said: “I am proud and privileged to have been appointed to this prestigious position. A critical aspect of preventing emergence of resistance is to ensure that antibiotics are dosed correctly.
“EUCAST is a highly respected organisation and I am delighted to be able to support them in promoting education and training in antimicrobial susceptibility testing.”
More information about EUCAST can be found here.