Articles by Sean
Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) Enzymes: Meet the Family
Metabolism is described as the series of chemical reactions required to sustain life. When it comes to drug metabolism, no one processes these chemicals better than the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) family of enzymes. Understanding key enzymes within this superfamily—including CYP2D6, CYP2C9 and CYP3A4—is essential to drug design. Were you expecting The Incredibles? Sorry, not that superfamily, but cytochrome are super nonetheless! […]
FDA Priority Review Vouchers Provide Hope For Patients With Rare and Neglected Diseases
Remember those ‘get out of jail free’ cards in the board game Monopoly, with somewhat dubious value (i.e. you’d always sell them right before you landed in jail) that could get you back in the game quicker? It turns out that such an express ticket exists in the drug discovery world, and we’ll take you along for the multi-million dollar ride. […]
The True Story of Drug Detective Frances Kelsey
What is the role of regulation in drug development? It may seem like a big obstacle in the path to discovering and delivering novel medicines to patients, potentially delaying treatment and prolonging their discomfort. This is the true story of how Frances Kelsey dared to challenge the safety and efficacy of thalidomide, becoming a national heroine in the process. […]
The Process and Costs of Drug Development (2026)
For a new drug entering the market in 2026, the costs behind its approval average over US$2 billion. In addition, the drug development process takes around 13.5 years of research and regulatory procedures before it is approved for sale. Despite this massive investment, pharmaceutical companies and research institutes continue developing new drugs to save and improve lives. We take a comprehensive look at the process and costs of drug development—how new drugs make their way from the lab bench to the pharmacy shelf. […]
How To Date A Dinosaur (Fossil) with Radiometric Dating
No, not that kind of dating… Rather, ‘dating’ a dinosaur bone dug out of the ground involves a series of processes that allow us to estimate its age on this Earth. This helps us to understand how that species fits into the evolutionary tree of change. When did a species first appear and when did the last of their kind walk this Earth? Let’s look at radiometric dating and how this technology is used in dating fossils millions of years old! […]
Sean is a consultant for clients in the pharmaceutical industry and is a lecturer at a local university, where unfortunate undergrads are subject to his ramblings on chemistry and pharmacology.