Medicines Discovery Catapult and medical research charity LifeArc have announced a strategic partnership to further human trials through the use of novel biomarkers.
Drug marker
The partnership will focus on the identification and development of novel biomarkers that detect efficacy and safety of novel drug molecules, which can be used in human trials.
LifeArc’s growing portfolio of therapeutic candidates across priority disease areas are suited to where there is high patient need, while Medicines Discovery Catapult has platforms and expertise in discovering and validating new biomarker approaches.
The partnership will use the expertise of both organisations to progress candidate molecules towards clinical evaluation with an optimised biomarker strategy. LifeArc will fund a select number of full-time employees, who will be embedded within the Catapult to provide strategic biomarker discovery and development.
Biomarkers help improve our understanding of disease and the way drugs interact with patients. They are key to translating drugs from a pre-clinical to clinical setting, where they help define dosage, patient selection and treatment decisions. They can also be used as tools to guide drug R&D in oncology.
The new posts will occupy an initial three-year period and will combine LifeArc’s project expertise with Medicines Discovery Catapult’s translational drug development know-how and biomarker technologies.
In addition, LifeArc will fund a two-year industrial post-doctoral research position based in Medicines Discovery Catapult’s national laboratory at Alderley Park in Cheshire.
Dr Peter Simpson, chief scientific officer of Medicines Discovery Catapult, said: “This landmark collaboration will bring together the expertise of two world-class, UK-based, leaders in collaborative approaches to drug discovery for the first time. To advance therapeutics closer to patients, LifeArc’s innovative therapeutic programmes will work together with Medicines Discovery Catapult’s state of the art biomarker discovery platform. LifeArc is renowned as an innovator in drug discovery, and this partnership is further endorsement of Medicine Discovery Catapult’s position as a leader in the creation of biomarker strategies, and the application of technology innovation in drug discovery.”
Catherine Kettleborough, associate director of LifeArc’s Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, added: “This is an exciting opportunity to join forces with the Medicines Discovery Catapult to support and accelerate the translation of promising research into new health interventions. Additionally, the Post-doctoral fellowship position will facilitate the development of innovative approaches that will benefit both organisations and contribute to training the drug discoverers of tomorrow.”