Genzyme and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Form Collaboration

Genzyme Corporation and the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) have announced a new research collaboration to advance treatments for neglected diseases.

The collaboration between Genzyme and ICGEB will initially focus on the development of new, improved treatments for malaria, a debilitating infectious disease of developing countries.

ICGEB and Genzyme scientists are currently targeting Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, increasingly resistant parasites that cause up to 65 percent of malaria in India. ICGEB has already begun to identify promising targets that, with the drug development expertise of Genzyme, could lead to drug compounds effective against malaria. The research will take place both in ICGEB’s laboratories in New Dehli, India and in Genzyme’s facilities in Waltham, Mass., U.S.A.

Under the agreement, scientists from Genzyme and ICGEB are expected to work in each other’s laboratories from time to time. The collaboration includes an approach to intellectual property rights, providing ICGEB rights to commercial uses within the field of neglected disease on a royalty-free basis.

Genzyme established a formal presence in India last year to actively collaborate with private and public institutions in the country and the region.

“The biotechnology industry is in a remarkable position to address neglected diseases with novel technology, world-renowned scientists and research partners dedicated to a shared commitment to improve human health,” Henri A. Termeer, chairman and chief executive officer of Genzyme Corporation said.

Virander Chauhan, director of ICGEB, New Delhi, said, “We are excited about this new collaboration. Combining ICGEB’s domain knowledge in malaria with Genzyme’s expertise in drug development opens up new possibilities for the development of novel strategies to combat malaria.”