Abstract

Introducing the Medicines Discovery Catapult

Chris Molloy, CEO, Medicines Discovery Catapult

Medicines Discovery is a multiparty, multidisciplinary collaboration focussed on proving new therapeutic approaches in patients. It remains a combination of science, technology and informatics within a strong framework of programme management -and rigorous decision-making is critical.

Whilst the process has improved, and extended across academia and CROs there remain multiple air-bubbles in the pipework and in certain disease areas the pipework may need replacing.

The Medicines Discovery Catapult is a new, national centre of expertise to support collaborative R&D targeted at systemic innovations between target validation and Phase 2a proof of concept. It will work with partners to identify shared problems and develop collaborations to produce science, technology, informatics and discovery externalisation solutions to help the UK maintain its position as a global leader in the sector.

We will support charities, clinicians, translational researchers, SMEs and multinationals by forming disease-specific syndicates. We will put patients at the beginning of discovery and provide multidisciplinary facilities and expertise to enhance the capability of the community.

We want to help you pinpoint and overcome the barriers to discovery and would like you to join us in an interactive session to discuss your challenges and how we can help you to solve them.

CEO Chris Molloy will introduce the Medicines Discovery Catapult and explain how it will work with the community to identify and overcome obstacles, before facilitating an open debate about the most urgent issues.