Press Release: Dr. Scott Weir Named Research Recipient of 2018 Global Health Repurposing Awards

Dr. Scott Weir Named Research Recipient of 2018 Global Health Repurposing Awards

Cures Within Reach will honor Dr. Weir on June 26 at its 6th annual gala

February 27, 2018

Cures Within Reach, a leading global nonprofit focused on repurposing research as a fast track to impacting patients’ lives, today announced that Scott Weir, PharmD, PhD, of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, is the recipient of the 2018 Janet Davison Rowley Patient Impact Research Award. Cures Within Reach selected Dr. Weir for his work in advancing 12 repurposed drugs for cancer patients into clinical trials, as the co-inventor of a repurposed antifungal therapy to treat bladder cancer and as an acknowledged thought leader in the repurposing field. Repurposing research clinically tests approved drugs, devices and nutraceuticals to find new treatments for unsolved diseases.

Cures Within Reach will honor Dr. Weir and two other honorees for their outstanding achievements in creating impact for cancer patients by repurposing existing science and medicine at its 6th Annual Global Health RepurposingAwards (GHRA) on June 26, 2018 at City Winery in Chicago.

“Dr. Scott Weir has created a culture highly supportive of repurposing at The University of Kansas Cancer Center (http://www.kucancercenter.org),” said Clare Thibodeaux, PhD, Director of Scientific Affairs at Cures Within Reach (https://www.cureswithinreach.org). “He is dedicated to creating repurposing collaborations among various stakeholders, including industry, academia, government and philanthropy, all to bring treatments to cancer patients in need.”

Upon learning of his award, Dr. Weir commented, “Finding new uses for FDA-approved and abandoned drugs is an integral part of our strategy to discover and develop new cancer treatments. We systematically test FDA-approved drugs and abandoned drugs for activity against newly discovered cancer pathways to create opportunities to rapidly advance new cancer treatments to our patients, to identify opportunities to enhance tumor response and overcome resistance to standard-of- care agents, and to assist in validating cancer drug targets in support of our efforts to discover new anti cancer agents.”

The 2018 GHRA event will honor leaders in industry, science and philanthropy who have made a patient impact through cancer-related repurposing. Cures Within Reach pointed to the ongoing demand worldwide for additional therapies to combat cancer for its decision to highlight the work of this years honorees.

The Janet Davison Rowley Patient Impact Research Award recognizes researchers and clinicians who have successfully repurposed a drug, device or nutraceutical for human clinical use, published their repurposed treatment results in the clinical or scientific literature and provided patients with increased quality of life through the repurposed treatment developed. The award is named in recognition of the impact that Dr. Janet Davison Rowley (1925-2013) had on patients through her clinical care and medical research, and because her pioneering discoveries showing genetic alterations create diseases are the foundation of many repurposing opportunities.

For more information about attending the 2018 GHRA to hear inspiring stories, honor all awardees and support the Cures Within Reach mission, visit cureswithinreach.org/ghra-2018.