Pfizer taps UCL for stem cell expertise
pharmafile | April 28, 2009 | News story | Research and Development | Pfizer, UCL, ophthalmology, regenerative medicine
Pfizer will work with researchers from University College London in the UK to try to develop stem cell-based therapies for macular degeneration, a disease affecting the eye which affects around a quarter of people aged over 60.
The deal brings pharma backing to the London Project to Cure Blindness, which aims to use human embryonic stem (hES) cells to replace the cells at the back of the eye which are lost in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Pfizer will help fund research in the project, and will also contribute its expertise in manufacturing, clinical trials and regulatory affairs to the project, with the aim of bringing a therapy into clinics in 2011.
The announcement came as UCL officially opened its Centre for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, which aims to bring together the stem cell-related research of all the scientists working at the University.
Critically, the approach could be valuable in the treatment of both the ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ form of AMD. The dry form in which cells of the retina waste away and die off is the most common, accounting for 90% of AMD patients, but has no current or emerging therapy.
The wet form, caused by growth of new blood vessels between the retina and the back of the eye, affects 10% of patients.
The pharmaceutical industry has been more successful in tackling this form, with a number of treatment options available, including Pfizer’s Macugen (pegaptanib), Novartis’ Lucentis (ranibuzumab) and Roche’s Avastin (bevacizumab).
The London Project to Cure Blindness is led by Professor Pete Coffey of UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology, who said Pfizer’s involvement would help usher the technology through the regulatory process, and make it possible to manufacture the therapy “on a much larger scale”.
The Pfizer deal “has huge implications, not only for our project, but for the field of regenerative medicine as a whole, “added Prof Coffey. “And it is great that Britain is at the forefront of this research.”
Under the terms of the deal, once preclinical testing has been completed Pfizer has the option to conduct clinical testing and has commercial rights to any resulting product.
The drugmaker has a clear ambition to be at the forefront of stem cell research, and opened a dedicated Regenerative Medicine research unit in November 2008, based in the UK and the US.
Pfizer’s US facility – in Cambridge, Massachusetts – is expected to employ up to 20 scientists and focuses on using stem cells to develop therapies for cardiac disorders and cancer.
The UK facility – also in Cambridge – focuses predominantly on age-related and degenerative disorders with particular interest in disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system, and is expected to employ around 60 scientists once it’s operating at full strength.
The Regenerative Medicine unit is in-line with big pharma’s current trend of allowing greater independence and autonomy to individual research units in the hope of stimulating a nimble, biotech-like research culture. That includes a lot of freedom in forging research alliances and collaborations.
Related stories:
Pfizer makes major stem cell investment
November 19, 2008
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