Alumni Weekend 2025's look at new drugs and therapies

MUSC's Alumni Weekend 2025 offered plenty of substance to go along with the festivities and celebrations. 

On Feb. 28, following a College of Pharmacy Dean's Breakfast hosted by Philip Hall, the scientific symposium kicked off at the Charleston Gaillard Center. The College of Medicine's Evan Graboyes opened the symposium with an introduction to the Survivorship and Cancer Outcomes Research (SCOR) Initiative at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and keynote speaker Lisa Saladin, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, presented "The Integration of Artificial Intelligence at MUSC."

The College of Pharmacy provided speakers for two of the six breakout sessions that followed the keynote.

• The legendary New Drug Update by faculty emeritus Wayne Weart helped health care professionals stay up to date with the rapidly evolving landscape of drug discovery, approvals, interactions, and shifting standards of care. Weart broke down key updates from the past year, covering the most important new drugs and treatment guidelines that directly impact patient outcomes. 
• Faculty member Taylor Morrisette addressed an equally current need with "Novel Antimicrobials in the 21st Century: Seeking the Path of Least Resistance." The global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents one of today's most pressing public health challenges and Morrisette gave an in-depth analysis of the current state of antimicrobial resistance, reviewed recently approved antibacterial therapies, examined their place in treatment protocols and highlighted the challenges in combating AMR through drug development.

Wayne Weart delivering the New Drug Update