Opening "The Box of Delights" - Accessing Pharma to Enhance Academic Drug Discovery
Justin Bryans,
Director of Drug Discovery,
Medical Research Council Technology
The drug discovery based knowledge, resources and capabilities of Pharma far outstrip those available within academia and have been viewed enviously from afar for some time. However, there is an increasing recognition within Pharma that academia has a significant role to play in the discovery of new drugs. The identification of “validated” or “de-risked” drug targets is of paramount importance to the survival of the Pharma sector and this is an arena in which academia can excel. Developing disease association and building confidence around druggability and target engagement in relevant, preferably human, tissues lies at the heart of MRC Technology’s strategy. This has generated a number of high profile collaborations which are providing MRCT access to Pharma’s extensive knowledge, experience and capabilities, the so called “Box of Delights”. This provides MRCT and their academic partners with a free flow of information and knowledge, plus the provision of resources and capabilities from Pharma that was unthinkable even five years ago.
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