Shionogi joins Astex, AstraZeneca and GSK as a Milner Consortium member

The Milner Therapeutics Consortium (Milner), the outreach programme of the Milner Therapeutics Institute, has announced Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi, as  the new partner joining the consortium

Takeshi Shiota, senior vice president, pharmaceutical research division at Shionogi has joined the consortium’s innovation board along with representatives from other consortium members Astex, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute and Sanger Institute.

The Milner Consortium said it acts as a ‘match-making’ service between pharmaceutical companies and researchers by bringing together the drug development capability of pharmaceutical companies with the know-how of entire academic institutions in Cambridge.

The consortium’s innovation board includes companies and academic partners and is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, collective research funding and collaborative activities.

In the last two months, 18 companies have become affiliated with the Milner Therapeutics Institute including Charles River Laboratories.

Tony Kouzarides, founder and director of the Milner Therapeutics Institute and Consortium said: “We are building the foundations for a world-leading hub in Cambridge around the Milner Therapeutics Institute.

“We are very pleased that Shionogi has become a consortium partner demonstrating that the consortium works on a truly global scale and that companies can collaborate with scientists in Cambridge even if they do not have research sites in the UK.

“Momentum is gathering around the Institute as eighteen companies, including Charles River Laboratories, have become affiliated in the last few weeks and we have interest from many more.”

Takeshi Shiota, senior vice president, pharmaceutical research division at Shionogi added: “The Milner Therapeutics Consortium offers access to exceptional science and collaborative opportunities at Cambridge University, and we are delighted to join as a founding member.

“This is the first research consortium that we have joined outside Japan and our first major research investment in the UK.

“Shionogi is one of the oldest research based pharmaceutical companies in Japan, founded in 1878. With research as the number one priority, we have discovered a number of innovative and life-saving medicines such as rosuvastatin (Crestor) and dolutegravir (Tivicay). In Japan, we are the leading proponent of open academic collaboration and have set up alliances with a number of national universities.”