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Drug Discovery in the Next Decade: From Genome Medicine to Clinical Trial in a Dish

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Joseph Wu, MD, PhD

Joseph Wu, M.D., Ph.D.

Simon H. Stertzer, MD, Professor of Medicine and Radiology
Director, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
Stanford University School of Medicine
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Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture

Drug Discovery in the Next Decade: From Genome Medicine to Clinical Trial in a Dish

Date: Nov. 5, 2026

Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.  (Reception and hors d'oeuvres at 5 p.m.)

In-person: Room M203, 2 Riverside Circle, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC

Virtual: Join via Zoom

Watch via Zoom

About this Seminar

Drug development continues to face significant challenges, with over 90% of candidate drugs failing in clinical trials. Here Dr. Wu will explore how the NIH and FDA are advocating for New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) to refine, reduce or replace (3Rs) traditional animal testing. He will highlight recent advances in key technologies such as human genetics, organoids, gene editing, and AI. Dr. Wu will discuss how these platforms can enhance our understanding of genome medicine, implement clinical trials in-a-dish (CTiD), and accelerate drug discovery in the next decade.

About this Seminar

What made a physician give up a career in surgery to pursue the science of exercise? This talk traces his journey—from the operating room to the research laboratory—and the discoveries that followed. Through decades of research, his work has helped uncover how exercise triggers communication between cells, tissues, and organs and how it regulates cellular energy and metabolism. The findings offer new insights into one of medicine’s most compelling questions: How can something as simple as regular exercise have such profound effects on preventing disease, preserving health, and extending healthspan?

About Maury Strauss

Maury Strauss was a longtime community benefactor and businessman who supported biomedical research with the goal of energizing the local economy and improving quality of life in our neighborhoods and around the world. In order to ensure the continued success of Roanoke’s biomedical research enterprise, as well as the free public seminars, Mr. Strauss made a generous gift to the series. He passed away in June 2024 at age 99. 

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Your generous support of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's rigorous biomedical research enterprise makes a difference for our faculty, students, and patients. Every donation helps accelerate the pace of new discoveries to help patients with cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease, and even rare genetic disorders. Private donations fast-track our progress. 

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