UNMC College of Pharmacy establishes center for drug design and innovation

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The University of Nebraska Board of Regents has given the green light to establish a new Drug Design and Innovation Center at UNMC’s College of Pharmacy.

The goal is to improve overall research discovery and development.

UNMC’s College of Pharmacy Dean Dr. Keith Olsen believes this new center will fill a drug research gap.

“What the center will do is help move those drugs along the pipeline a little bit faster,” Olsen said.

With the center’s new infrastructure and resources, it will help ease the process for faculty and researchers allowing them to do more experiments with cancer and neurological diseases.

“Move those closer to clinical trials where they might actually then be used in humans and be on the market for not only people in Nebraska to benefit, but across the entire country and world,” Olsen said.

It isn’t just a research hub, it’s also a learning space for students.

Dr. Aaron Mohs with UNMC College of Pharmacy sees this as an opportunity for the University of Nebraska system to reach the same level as peer big ten institutions.

“So, not only are they getting a background in the science, but they’re getting an idea about the development and what it takes to be successful in this area,” Mohs said.

“This is absolutely part of the role of the center,” Mohs said. “It’s to provide those opportunities for our students to stay in Nebraska and make [the state] greater.”

The hope for this new center is it will also attract additional grants, partnerships, and STEM jobs to help stimulate economic development in Nebraska.

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