In this series, we talk to early career researchers to find out more about their interests, projects and how they see the future of drug repurposing. In this special edition of Researcher Insights, we caught up with Arsenii Zabirnyk, a Researcher at Oslo University hospital in Norway and #iDR25 poster competition winner about his work and his experience at #iDR25 in Amsterdam.
What was the title and main focus of your poster?
The title was: “Development of pharmacological treatment against aortic valve calcification”. It focuses on the developing a state of the art pharmacological treatment of calcific aortic valve stenosis by using a repurposed drug.
What inspired you to pursue this research topic?
I was doing a basic research of calcific aortic valve stenosis and was puzzled that the only available treatment is surgery with valve replacement with a set of complications. I got interested in finding the pharmacological therapy to replace that.
What’s one key finding or insight you hope others will take away from your work?
We have found a drug which was very safe and tolerable over a long period of use that might be a future pharmacotherapy of calcific aortic valve stenosis.
How does your research contribute to the drug repurposing landscape?
When tested in humans and approved, this treatment could be one of the few successful cases of drug repurposing for a common disease.
What was the most rewarding part of presenting your work at iDR25?
It was very nice to hear and communicate with a community that is also focused on drug repurposing!
How do you think events like iDR25 support early-career researchers?
iDR25 provides a unique opportunity to share their work with like-minded researchers and stakeholders, providing a great platform for communication and development.
If you would like to find out more about Arsenii’s work, view his poster here. Moreover, if you want to know more about the iDR Conference Series and upcoming opportunities, follow this link.
