CAMBRIDGE, England,
January 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --
Pfizer joins Astex,
AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Shionogi, MedImmune and Otsuka in the
Milner Therapeutics Consortium
Major research investment to
work with academic scientists in Cambridge
The Milner Therapeutics Institute today announces Pfizer Inc.
(NYSE: PFE) as a partner to the Milner Therapeutics Consortium.
Pfizer has agreed to join the Consortium, which enables the
efficient transfer of materials between industry and academia and
allocation of funds for partnering opportunities in Cambridge. Dr Ron
Newbold, Vice President, External R&D Innovation at
Pfizer, will join the Milner Innovation Board alongside
representatives from Astex, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Shionogi,
MedImmune, University of Cambridge,
Babraham Institute and Sanger Institute.
The Milner Therapeutics Consortium acts as a 'match-making'
service between pharmaceutical companies and researchers in
Cambridge and was established in
2015. The Consortium brings together the drug development
capability of pharmaceutical companies with the know-how of entire
academic institutions in Cambridge
and has been specifically modelled to help facilitate the speedy
exchange of resources and information between partners through a
pre-signed agreement. Company partners are able to work
individually with academics or through joint activities in order to
help accelerate drug development. The Consortium's Innovation Board
includes companies and academic partners and is responsible for
overseeing the strategic direction, collective research funding and
collaborative activities.
Commenting on the announcement, Prof Tony Kouzarides, founder and director of the
Milner Therapeutics Institute said: "We are building the
foundations for a world-leading ecosystem for therapeutics research
around the Milner Therapeutics Institute. We are delighted that
Pfizer has joined the Consortium to develop mutually-beneficial
collaborations with Cambridge
academics and the Milner Therapeutics Institute. We are focussed on
working with Pfizer to advance disease understanding and make a
difference to therapies in the clinic."
Dr Ron Newbold, Vice
President, External R&D Innovation at Pfizer, added: "We
are pleased to be able to join the Milner Therapeutics Consortium
and look forward to a deeper engagement in the Cambridge ecosystem. The UK has a very strong
academic and biotech community, and we anticipate working with many
world-class scientists that will be supported and inspired by the
work of the Milner Institute in the coming years."
The Milner Therapeutics Institute is a fully integrated
Institute within the University of
Cambridge. The Consortium is seeking academic and industrial
partners to work in all therapeutics areas. For further information
on how to join the consortium, please contact
Kathryn.chapman@milner.cam.ac.uk, +44-(0)1223-767111,
http://www.milner.cam.ac.uk.