# GSK to establish a major drug discovery collaborative research project



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

GlaxoSmithKline to establish a major drug discovery collaborative research project with the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, IrelandMinister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment MicheÃ¡l Martin TD today (22nd August 2006) announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is establishing a ground breaking research project into gastrointestinal diseases, in collaboration with Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) in UCC. This project is jointly supported by IDA Ireland and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and will involve an investment of up to â‚¬13.7m.Researchers from GSKâ€™s Neurology and GI Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery (CEDD) will work closely with the APC to identify new drug targets for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by exploiting the drug discovery capabilities of GSKâ€™s and the APCâ€™s unique understanding of these diseases.Speaking at the launch in UCC, Mr. MicheÃ¡l Martin TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment said: â€œThis internationally novel and exciting research project involves a high-level collaboration between GSK, one the worldâ€™s leading pharmaceutical companies, and one of Irelandâ€™s leading research groups, APC. Ireland has created a unique interconnected R&D landscape that encourages collaboration between all participants in research.â€â€œThis project represents a major breakthrough in the promotion of drug discovery research, which is a key target for IDA Ireland and SFI, and builds on the Governmentâ€™s strategy to actively promote industrial-academic collaborations. Todayâ€™s announcement clearly demonstrates how the Irish system, working together, wins strategic and significant R&D projects against world class international competitionâ€, Minister Martin added.GSK has a strong heritage in Ireland and employs over 1600 people across four sites in Cork, Waterford and Dublin. GSKâ€™s existing manufacturing operation in Currabinny, County Cork, which employs more than 500 people, will be closely involved in the project which will strengthen its position to capture the development and manufacturing activities of new drugs arising from the project. The Cork facility has already invested significantly in R&D activity in recent years.Jackie Hunter, Senior Vice President and Head of GSKâ€™s Neurology & GI CEDD said, â€œGSK is committed to developing new medicines for the treatment of GI diseases, and is developing a rich pipeline of preclinical candidates within the CEDD. We are very excited to be joining forces with the APC to expedite the prosecution of this pipeline. This collaboration is a concrete example of how industry and academia can partner effectively to translate preclinical research into medicines for GI disorders.â€Professor Fergus Shanahan, Director of the APC, said: â€œThe project will showcase Ireland as a centre for drug discovery and translational medicine. The quality of the research, the significant contribution of both parties intellectually, financially and at a strategic level marks a step-change in the quality and depth of research which will be undertaken by this company in Ireland. This collaboration highlights the capability of Irelandâ€™s researchers to engage and add-value to the earliest part of the pharmaceutical value chain in drug discovery, and encourages the pharmaceutical industry in general to consider Ireland as a location of choice for cutting edge research activities.â€The GSK-APC venture spans three major areas of researchExploratory scientific research Bench-to-bedside medical exploratory studies with known molecular entities developed in-house by GSK Drug discovery using GSK technology and APC enabling tools and technologyCommenting on the announcement Dr. Maurice Treacy, Director, BioSciences & BioEngineering Directorate, SFI, said: â€œThis collaboration highlights the capability of Irelandâ€™s researchers to engage and add-value to the earliest part of the pharmaceutical value chain in drug discovery, and encourages the pharmaceutical industry in general to consider Ireland as a location of choice for cutting edge research activities.â€http://www.sfi.ie/content/content.asp?sect...ication_id=1386


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