University of Barcelona chosen to participate in Lilly’s Open Innovation
The US pharmaceutical company, with a subsidiary in Madrid, will develop new cancer-fighting compounds with external researchers.
By Biocat
The research group led by Dr. Maria Dolors Pujol, of the University of Barcelona (UB) Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutic Chemistry, has been chosen to collaborate with Lilly Spain —through their Open Innovation Drug Discovery program (OIDD)— to explore the therapeutic potential of new cancer-fighting compounds. Specifically, the company is evaluating their capabilities as angiogenesis inhibitors and applications in specific oncology treatments.
Dr. Marta Piñeiro-Núñez, who leads the team in charge of Lilly’s OIDD from the United States and evaluates project feasibility, said that in 2012 a total of 279 universities, biotechnology companies and research centers from 30 countries participated in the program. There are 27 organizations from Spain involved, 15 of which have already submitted compounds and products to be evaluated. "So far, we have received more than 18,000 compound samples. Spain is sixth and I hope that this participation grows,” commented Piñeiro-Núñez.
Some months ago, Lilly Spain signed an agreement with the University of Valencia to carry out research into the methodological development and synthesis of new molecules designed by this pharmaceutical company.
Lilly’s Open Innovation strategy
Each year, researchers around the world design and synthesize compounds in universities and biotechnology laboratories that don’t move into later stages of development, either due to a lack of resources or hurdles encountered in the drug development process. Seeing this opportunity to attract knowledge, Lilly created the OIDD platform to give external scientists access to the company’s IT and computational tools using a secure website. This helps them design and evaluate molecules based on their potential to be used as new drugs. This work may lead to collaboration between the person who discovers or owns the molecule and the pharmaceutical company.
Anyone can participate in Lilly’s OIDD program free of charge.
In Catalonia, the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation is working to raise awareness of this program among all UB researchers and provides logistical support for anyone interested in participating.