School of Pharmacy
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Peter Fischer

Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Science

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Biography

I gained my first degree and PhD in organic and medicinal chemistry under the supervision of Merlin EH Howden in Australia (Macquarie and Deakin Universities). After a short stint in a lectureship at Deakin University I entered into the biotechnology sector with a university drug discovery spin-out company in 1990. I later moved to Norway, where I helped Nycomed (now part of GE Healthcare), a world-leading diagnostics company, establish a medicinal chemistry unit as part of a new therapeutics division. In 1997 I joined Sir David Lane at Cyclacel (then a Dundee-based start-up and now a public biopharmaceuticals company) to established chemistry and drug design capabilities, and subsequently led the discovery research activities at Cyclacel for almost eight years. Cancer drug candidates that we discovered during that period are currently under clinical investigation. After a 15-year career in drug discovery and medicinal chemistry research and development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, I took the Chair in Medicinal Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Nottingham in mid-2005.

Teaching Summary

I currently teach on the MPharm degree course in the Viral and Parasitic Infection (B33VPI) and Research Projects (B33RPE) modules.

Research Summary

In my laboratory we pursue translational research activities with an emphasis on novel approaches and targets, as well as therapeutic applications where there exists an urgent medical need for new… read more

Selected Publications

Current Research

In my laboratory we pursue translational research activities with an emphasis on novel approaches and targets, as well as therapeutic applications where there exists an urgent medical need for new treatments. My core expertise is medicinal chemistry, including synthetic methodology and molecular modeling and design, but my interests extend into most disciplines relevant to drug discovery and development, especially structural biology, molecular and cell biology, and pharmacology.

Since joining the School of Pharmacy in 2005 I have initiated research projects in a number of therapeutic areas. We use structure-guided, screening-based, and convention medicinal chemistry design and synthesis methods to discover new drug leads in oncology, cardiovascular disease, bone disease, respiratory disease, neurodegeneration, and infection and immunity.

To date I have authored in excess of 150 reviews, book chapters, original research papers, and some 80 patents and patent applications.

Membership of Committees & Professional Bodies

  • Royal Society of Chemistry (Fellow; FRSC CChem)
  • Royal Australian Chemical Institute (Chartered Chemist; MRACI CChem)
  • American Chemical Society (Member)
  • American Association for Cancer Research (Member)
  • Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Co-editor)
  • Future Medicinal Chemistry (Associate Editor)
  • Medicinal Chemistry (Editorial Board member)
  • Current Enzyme Inhibition (Editorial Board member)
  • Current Protein and Peptide Science (Editorial Board member)
  • Medical Research Council, Molecular and Cellular Medicines Board (Member)
  • Association for International Cancer Research (Scientific Advisory Committee Member)

School of Pharmacy

University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD

For all enquiries please visit:
www.nottingham.ac.uk/enquiry