Date Created: 25 October 2011
"The alliance brings together our collective expertise in target biology and drug discovery to tackle an enormous unmet medical need."
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the University of Edinburgh have agreed a collaborative partnership to discover and develop medicines with the potential to treat severe acute pancreatitis.
The collaboration will cement the deep biology and disease understanding of the academic group led by Mr Damian Mole and Dr Scott Webster of the University's College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine with GSK's expertise in drug discovery and development.
The alliance comes through GSK's Discovery Partnerships with Academia (DPAc) team, a recently formed group designed to bring together the complementary skill sets of GSK and individual academic groups in the search for innovative medicines.
BioQuarter was selected as one of just ten DPAc projects being awarded globally by GlaxoSmithKline.
The agreement was negotiated by Edinburgh BioQuarter and will see the University receive financial support from GSK based on success and linked to reaching agreed milestones.
The University will receive an undisclosed upfront payment plus royalties on sales from any product that is successfully commercialised out of the collaboration.
Work on the project will be carried out both within GSK and at the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine located at Edinburgh BioQuarter, Scotland's flagship life sciences and biotech development.
"Severe acute pancreatitis can be expensive to treat as patients require intensive care. Despite treatment, up to a quarter of people will die from an attack. By teaming up with GSK, we’ve the opportunity to turn our science into a medicine", said Mr Mole.
Dr Webster added, "This is a great example of translating academic research. The alliance brings together our collective expertise in target biology and drug discovery to tackle an enormous unmet medical need."
Dr Diane Harbison, Head of Business Development at Edinburgh BioQuarter, said: "This collaborative partnership with a world-leader in drug discovery demonstrates the strength and depth of research being conducted here in Edinburgh."
Learn more about Scotland's strengths in translational medicine