The New Role of Academia in Drug Discovery and Development: New Thinking, New Competencies, New Results

Five leaders in the medical innovation field released a white paper today titled The New Role of Academia in Drug Discovery and Development: New Thinking, New Competencies, New Results. This white paper reflects key recommendations from a July 2010 town hall meeting in Kansas City hosted by Friends of Cancer Research, Kansas Bioscience Authority, The University of Kansas Cancer Center, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Council for American Medical Innovation.

The white paper outlines how government, nonprofit organizations and academic institutions can define new models of working with the private sector to enhance drug development efforts and bring safer, more effective drugs to the market more efficiently. Recommendations for this new model are based on a series of expert panel discussions held during the town hall meeting.
"This call to action is the result of an extraordinary meeting of key policy makers, academics, industry leaders and the non-profit community, who understand the urgency for new collaborations in cancer research and drug development," said Roy A. Jensen, M.D., director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center. "As universities increasingly seek to commercialize their research, we need a new paradigm for drug discovery. The University of Kansas Cancer Center is proud to partner with these organizations to lead the way."

"Together, we can knock down barriers to scientific innovation, and, as we do that, we will accelerate our progress in the fight against diseases such as cancer," said Tom Thornton, president and CEO of the Kansas Bioscience Authority.

"We hope our nation's healthcare leaders and policymakers will study the insights and adopt the recommendations in this report. We can make groundbreaking progress in how scientific discoveries translate to patient healthcare if they do," said Lesa Mitchell, vice president of advancing innovation at the Kauffman Foundation.

"This white paper outlines critical steps toward much-needed increased interagency collaboration," said Dr. Ellen Sigal, Chair, Friends of Cancer Research. "The proposals discussed within this document aim to accelerate the process to help get scientific breakthroughs to patients. The message is clear; without collaboration among all agencies and academic centers, the full potential of biomedical research may be stifled."

"The Council for American Medical Innovation is pleased to have supported this ground breaking event examining the new role of academia in drug development," said Debra Lappin, President of the Council for American Medical Innovation. "The white paper reflects a rare dialogue among leaders across sectors and paves the way forward for the next generation of research, discovery and medical advances."