Servier Australia & BioCurate strike an agreement to collaborate and accelerate discoveries of new therapeutics and drugs
Author
Date
BioCurate
July 16, 2019
Australia, in particular the state of Victoria, is internationally recognised for its excellence in biomedical research. This provides a compelling opportunity for drug discovery and biomedical science translation.
Servier and BioCurate will collaborate under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), whereby they will work together, both directly and via participation in BioCurate’s Industry and Scientific Advisory Committee, in providing advice and assessing new therapeutic candidates arising from BioCurate’s academic partners.
BioCurate was established with a specific focus on addressing the barriers that limit the translation and commercialisation of early stage research. With the aim of increasing the number of ‘investment-ready’ projects, BioCurate is committed to engaging closely and collaboratively with industry and other potential investors to ensure promising projects receive critical expert advice and assessment throughout the drug discovery process.
“BioCurate is very pleased to receive this further endorsement from industry and to be expanding our collaborative linkages with experts who are able to provide invaluable scientific advice, commercial insight and partnering opportunities to BioCurate and Australia’s wider medical research sector,” said Dr C. Glenn Begley, CEO of BioCurate.
Australia is a leading country in scientific research and development (R&D), with a strong reputation in invention and innovation in both medical research and improving healthcare. To capture the opportunities of prolific R&D ecosystems, such as Australia, and to further strengthen its pipeline, the Servier International Center of Therapeutic Research has actively engaged some of the best researchers worldwide.
“Collaboration with biotech companies, academia, institutes and government is a key cornerstone of our strategy to put the patient and innovation first,” highlighted Claude Bertrand, Executive Vice-President Research & Development at Servier.
Conducive to this broad-based collaboration is Australia’s ‘Parkville Precinct.’ This cluster of 30 world-class hospitals, research institutes, teaching and biotech organisations in Melbourne employs approximately 10,000 researchers, many of whom are the global leaders in their field. With its headquarters embedded within this precinct, BioCurate’s internationally-experienced team is well-placed to complement this thriving research ecosystem.
“BioCurate is very proud of the industry-experienced team it is building and making available to the local sector. This is unique in the Australian context. Our staff are solely focused on increasing the clinical impact from medical research and we are doing this by sharing our hands-on experience, knowledge and networks from working in industry both internationally and in Australia,” Dr Begley said.
Servier is one of the first pharmaceutical companies to sign an agreement with BioCurate to share expertise and accelerate discoveries of new drugs.
“We are excited by the opportunity to create synergies between Servier’s scientific expertise and capabilities and BioCurate’s know-how in improving the quality of early stage research for a successful translation into therapeutic solutions for the benefit of patients,” concluded Pedro Crisanto, Director Servier International Centre for Therapeutic Research Australia & New Zealand. “Australia has ranked 5th in the Scientific American Worldwide scorecard 3 years running. Alongside BioCurate, Servier aims to translate this exciting science into improved health outcomes for patients around the world.”
About Servier
Servier is an international pharmaceutical laboratory run by a Foundation, with its headquarters in Suresnes in France. With a solid international footing in 149 countries and revenues of €4.2 billion in 2018, Servier employs 22 000 people around the globe. Wholly independent, the Group reinvests 25% of its income (excluding generics) into Research and Development and ploughs all its profit into its growth. The Group attributes its growth to an incessant quest for innovation in five fields of excellence: cardiovascular diseases, immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancers and diabetes, as well as its development of high-quality generics. Servier also offers e-health solutions in addition to its medicinal products. www.servier.com
Servier has been present in Australia since 1979 through Servier Australia, the local subsidiary, and through the International Centre for Therapeutic Research (ICTR) launched in 1999. www.servier.com.au
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About BioCurate
BioCurate Pty Ltd was formed jointly in June 2016 by The University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government to accelerate early phases of new drug development. BioCurate is seeking to address the key challenges in early stage drug development and to increase the number, quality and rate of translation of new drug discoveries into medically sound projects that are attractive for investment via commercial or public-good routes. The Company’s vision is to be a recognised global leader in the translation of basic medical research into human therapeutics. BioCurate is one of the key partners in the Biomedical Translation Bridge Program, a national initiative of the Australian Government aimed at nurturing the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to the proof of concept stage.
Media contacts
Servier
Sonia Marques – sonia.marques@servier.com
Tel. +33 (0)1 55 72 40 21 / + 33 (0) 7 84 28 76 13
BioCurate
Linda Peterson – l.peterson@biocurate.com
Tel: +61 419 320 435
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Collaboration with biotech companies, academia, institutes and government is a key cornerstone of our strategy to put the patient and innovation first.
