Under the five-year agreement, Pfizer will provide $22.5m to Washington University and give its scientists access to research data on a large array of Pfizer pharmaceutical candidates that are currently or were formerly in clinical testing.
Pfizer said that the partnership represents a new approach in academia-industry collaborations that has the potential to develop drug compounds efficiently. By sharing its data on existing compounds, researchers will not have to replicate extensive preclinical studies, thereby shaving years off the time it takes to evaluate new uses for existing drugs.
To encourage the exchange of ideas, Pfizer’s Indications Discovery Unit has developed an online portal through which certain Washington University investigators will have unprecedented access to information about Pfizer’s proprietary compounds, including extensive clinical and preclinical data. The compounds have been studied and their mechanisms of action are well-understood.
An advisory committee composed of scientists from both Washington University and Pfizer will evaluate proposals for new research that have been co-written by University and Pfizer researchers.
To facilitate the collaboration, Pfizer’s Indications Discovery Unit is moving its laboratories from Chesterfield, Missouri, in suburban St. Louis, to the Center of Research Technology and Entrepreneurial Exchange biosciences district, adjacent to Washington University School of Medicine.
Don Frail, chief scientific officer of indications discovery unit at Pfizer, said: “There are two realities in drug discovery. By harnessing the scientific expertise at this leading academic medical center, the collaboration seeks to discover entirely new uses for these compounds in areas of high patient need that might otherwise be left undiscovered.”
Larry Shapiro, executive vice chancellor and dean of Washington University School of Medicine, said: “We are pleased to see our long-standing relationship with Pfizer evolve into this innovative model of partnership that has the potential to benefit the many patients whose medical needs can’t be met with existing drugs. We look forward to the many discoveries that will emerge from this collaboration.”