The 2nd International Conference on Drug Discovery & Therapy: Dubai, February 1 - 4, 2010


It has been predicted that central nervous system (CNS) disorder will be the major medical need of this century. In spite of this recognition and the tremendous effort and money invested in CNS drug discovery, the outcome has been very limited over the last decade. Since the underlying genetic and neuronal abnormalities in most psychiatric and neurological disorders are largely unknown identifying potential pharmacological targets is particularly difficult. Furthermore, clinical evaluation of drug candidates is challenging as objective measures of symptoms of CNS diseases are frequently lacking. Therefore, adequate evaluation of the outcome, or early sign of clinical improvement of pharmacotherapeutic intervention is also complicated. Although lectures and presentations from all areas of CNS drug discovery and clinical development are welcome, a particular emphasis will be put on translational medicine. The aim will be to address some of the above listed difficulties related to the discovery of CNS medicines, while also covering hot topics, such as clinical dose selection and biomarker strategies.

Mihály Hajós
Pfizer Global Research & Development
Groton, CT, USA




Mihály Hajós, Pharm.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Research Fellow at the Neuroscience Department, Pfizer Global Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut, USA. He graduated from Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Medical University, Szeged, Hungary, and carried out his PhD studies at the Nobel Prize winner Arvid Carlsson’s Pharmacology Department, University of Goteborg, Sweden (1984-1988). He had various academic appointments, including Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, A. Szent-Gyorgyi Medical University, Szeged, Hungary (1988-1993), Senior Research Fellow, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK (1993-1999), and Faculty Member of the Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, UK (1995-1999).


Pharma R&D: In 1999, Dr. Hajós was appointed as Senior Principal Scientist at Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacia, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, and after the takeover of Pharmacia by Pfizer, he continued his work at Pfizer Inc. Groton, Connecticut, USA as Associate Research Fellow. He is interested in the neuropharmacology of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder. His preclinical work focuses on the pharmacological and physiological aspects of neuronal network activities, such as network oscillations, information processing and complex feedback-loop systems of the hippocampus and cortex. Applying biomarker strategies, he also explores how neurophysiological responses to drug administration translate from preclinical to clinical studies, presenting opportunities for proof-of-mechanism and proof-of-concept studies.

Selected Publications:

Barry RJ, Clarke AR, Hajós M, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M, Bruggemann JM. Acute atomoxetine effects on the EEG of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Neuropharmacology. (in press) 2009.

Hajós M, Hoffmann WE, Kocsis B. Activation of cannabinoid-1 receptors disrupts sensory gating and neuronal oscillation: relevance to schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry. 2008 Jun 1;63(11):1075-83.

Javitt DC, Spencer KM, Thaker GK, Winterer G, Hajós M. Neurophysiological biomarkers for drug development in schizophrenia. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2008 Jan;7(1):68-83.

McNaughton N, Kocsis B, Hajós M. Elicited hippocampal theta rhythm: a screen for anxiolytic and procognitive drugs through changes in hippocampal function? Behav Pharmacol. 2007 Sep;18(5-6):329-46.

Hajós M. Targeting information-processing deficit in schizophrenia: a novel approach to psychotherapeutic drug discovery. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2006 Jul;27(7):391-8.

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