Mark Schurdak, PhD
Dr. Schurdak is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Computational and Systems Biology at the University of Pittsburgh, and a core member of OPTIn. His talk will highlight the importance of reproducibility in the development and implementation of NAMs for precision medicine.
Dr. Schurdak`s research focus is in two main areas: 1) the qualification of the liver acinus microphysiological (LAMPS) platform as a drug development tool (DDT) with the FDA; and 2) the application of quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) to understand the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease progression and identify therapeutic strategies for traumatic brain injury (TBI), Huntington’s disease (HD), and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). He is a multi-PI of the Translational Center for Microphysiological Systems (Pitt-TraCe) leading the efforts to qualifying the LAMPS as a DTT for two contexts of use (CoU) to: 1) establish hepatic clearance of drug candidates in patients with metabolic dysfunction- associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to assist in the determination of drug candidate dosing in clinical trials when patients with MASLD are included; and 2) establish the hepatotoxicity of drug candidates in patients with MASLD to assist in the determination of drug candidate dosing in clinical trials when patients with MASLD are included. In a collaboration with Shaun Carlson in the Department of Neurological Surgery he is leading the effort in applying QSP to generate a dynamic network map of TBI progression induced by Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI) to examine the role of CME in TBI disease progression.
D. Lansing Taylor, PhD
Dr. Taylor is a distinguished professor at the University of Pittsburgh. His research focuses on integrating quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) with human microphysiological systems (MPS)—such as organ-on-a-chip models—to enhance drug discovery, development, and diagnostics, particularly for complex diseases like metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) type 2 diabetes, and various cancers
Dr. Taylor`s research interests have been rooted in understanding the temporal-spatial dynamics of signaling molecules and proteins in living cells, coupled to defining the mechanisms of fundamental cell functions such as cell division and cell migration. He has always integrated the development of new technologies in fluorescence-based reagents and light microscope imaging in order to improve the ability to define molecular events in cells and tissue models. His interests have evolved from single cell activities to understanding cellular population dynamics, including the biological basis for heterogeneity in response to perturbations such as drug treatments. He is also investigating populations of cancer cell models labeled with a panel of fluorescent probes of pathway nodes, organelle functions and cell health to measure, model and predict outcomes using computational and systems biology methods.
Dr. Taylor has pioneered the development of high-content imaging technologies and fluorescence-based biosensors to study cellular dynamics. His work emphasizes understanding cellular heterogeneity and modeling disease mechanisms to predict therapeutic responses. He has also contributed to reducing reliance on animal testing by advancing human cell-based models for drug toxicity and efficacy assessments.
Throughout his career, Dr. Taylor has founded several biotech companies, including Cellomics and Cernostics, to commercialize innovations in cell analysis and tissue diagnostics. His current initiatives involve developing patient-specific digital twins and biomimetic models to personalize medicine and improve clinical trial outcomes.