Galapagos and the University of Bristol Enter Drug Discovery Collaboration
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Galapagos NV and the University of Bristol have announced new drug discovery collaboration in the field of cancer research.
Galapagos' service division BioFocus DPI will provide lead optimization services for a University of Bristol research program focusing on destroying cancer cells. Total contract value for Galapagos exceeds €2 million in research fees over two years.
Scientists at ProXara Biotechnology Ltd, a spin-out from the University of Bristol, have discovered drug-like compounds that prevent PKB activation and that make tumour cells commit suicide.
The University of Bristol has recently been awarded a €4.3 million research grant from the Wellcome Trust's Seeding Drug Discovery Initiative to take this research programme forward. BioFocus DPI will apply its lead optimization expertise and its Admensa technology to help the University of Bristol team optimize these drug-like compounds and select a candidate for clinical trials.
"This new collaboration with the University of Bristol validates the strategy behind the Inpharmatica acquisition," said Onno van de Stolpe, Chief Executive Officer of Galapagos. "The combination of Inpharmatica's Admensa and our medicinal chemistry expertise is a powerful drug discovery tool."
"The innovation of BioFocus DPI's scientists, together with the support of the Wellcome Trust, will help us to accelerate development of our anti-cancer compounds," said Professor Jeremy Tavaré of the University of Bristol's Department of Biochemistry.
