MRC industry showcase events - a route to translation
22 August 2007
The MRC is holding a series of quarterly showcases to highlight new advances and discoveries that aim to improve health. Each one will give a limited number of scientists from pharmaceutical and biotech companies unprecedented access to the latest research being undertaken by MRC units and institutes. At each showcase, key experts will give talks, and poster sessions will reveal the latest thinking on a variety of topics.
Dave Brennan, Chief Executive of AstraZeneca said “Events such as the MRC showcases help forge vital relationships between academic scientists and industry. These alliances are catalysts for the development of basic discoveries into treatments. We look forward to attending further showcases in different areas of medical science in order to develop our relationships with scientists across the board.”
JP Garnier, Chief Executive Officer of GlaxoSmithKline, said, “GSK believes that the work of the MRC is very important, with activities such as the industry showcase events providing scientists vital forums to share and progress groundbreaking research. Collaboration between industry and research institutions remains essential if we are to continue to enhance our scientific understanding and develop innovative new medicines.”
Dr Annette Doherty, Research Site Head & Site Leader of Pfizer’s European R&D Headquarters at Sandwich, Kent said, “At Pfizer we fully recognise the importance and value of the great science being conducted outside of the industry. We are constantly looking at opportunities to collaborate with the academic research community in order to advance the discovery and development of better and safer treatments. MRC showcase events are a perfect forum for this.”
The MRC Chief Executive Colin Blakemore added: “The first two showcases, in neuroscience and mental health and infections and immunity, were a great success. The MRC and MRC Technology have committed a budget of £3m for 2006/07 to set up the Pilot Industry Collaboration Award Scheme to encourage collaborative research between MRC-funded researchers and industry, open to those who attend showcase events.”
The first industry collaboration awards were granted to Professor Dario Alessi, MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, Dundee, Professor David Wynick, University of Bristol, and Dr Diane Hanger, Institute of Psychiatry.
Professor Alessi will work with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to study mutations in a gene called LRRK2 that is linked to late-onset Parkinson’s disease. He hopes the work will lead to improved knowledge about how the gene contributes to the disease and help industry to target it for treatment. Professor Wynick will use his award to spend a six-month sabbatical at GSK learning more about the process by which pharmaceutical companies develop new painkillers and the regulatory process associated with this. Also with GSK, Dr Hangar plans to use her award to study a protein called apolipoprotein E that is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, in the hope that the work will lead to new drug targets for the disease.
The next showcase is from the MRC's Physiological Systems & Clinical Science Board and will take place on 11-12 September 2007 in Edinburgh.
Phone: 0207 637 6011
press.office@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk
Ref: MRC/33/07
