GSK and FAPESP to establish Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery

The Center will be designed to expand knowledge of diseases and to develop drugs that could respond to unmet medical needs.

Agência FAPESP – On June 24, 2014, FAPESP and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Brasil announced a cooperative agreement to establish a Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery in Brazil.

The Center will seek to promote the advancement of basic research and the potential development of drugs that could respond to currently unmet needs. Resources will be used to develop research studies in the areas of respiratory diseases, metabolic diseases, immunology/inflammation and antibacterial/antiviral treatments.

The initiative will receive investments equally apportioned between FAPESP and GSK, on the order of US$1.5 million each year for a period of 10 years. Located in the state of São Paulo, the Center will perform international-level research for application in Brazil.

The signing ceremony for the new cooperative agreement between FAPESP and GSK was attended by Cesar Rengifo, the president and general manager of GSK Brasil; Antonio José, the medical and regulatory director of GSK Brasil; and Paulo Ieno, the manager of government relations. Also present were Celso Lafer, the president of FAPESP; Eduardo Moacyr Krieger, the vice-president of the FAPESP Board of Trustees; and Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, the scientific director of the Foundation.

During the signing ceremony at the Foundation headquarters, a call for proposals was also issued, directed toward researchers at universities and research institutions located in the state of São Paulo. One proposal will be selected to establish the Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery.

Interested parties will have until September 26, 2014, to submit proposals for establishing the Center. Proposals must include a program for transferring knowledge and technology as well as for interacting with the educational system.

Investment in research and innovation

The Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery will enhance the partnership between GSK and FAPESP. In October 2013, the institutions announced the establishment of a Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Chemistry, designed for conducting research on new compounds and processes to develop sustainable chemical products for utilization in the development of new medicines.

According to Cesar Rengifo, the company selected Brazil to host the Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery because it offers a vast array of opportunities in this area. “We’re seeking to diversify our sources of research for new discoveries that will be able to provide individuals with increased access to medicines,” he said.

Rengifo went on to say that Brazilian research, although advanced, still lacks mechanisms that enable the knowledge produced to be transmitted to the productive sector. “We’re convinced that Brazil will be a source of medicines available 10 to 15 years from now, and we want to help to create a virtuous cycle that contributes to this end,” he said.

For Celso Lafer, the Center’s model will enable long-term planning for both production and application of knowledge. “The Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery will make it possible to carry out joint studies on topics of critical importance to health, in much the same model as FAPESP’s RIDC program. This will allow for the shared generation of knowledge for a period of 10 years in areas of mutual interest to the institutions involved and with potential results for application,” he said.

Carlos Henrique de Brito Cruz, FAPESP’s scientific director, emphasized that the agreement with GSK has special features in terms of promoting research in Brazil.

“The initiative is very important and is expected to impact the areas involved in terms of both production and application of scientific knowledge,” he said, noting that the experience that FAPESP has had in promoting research and that GSK has had in applying results will come together to benefit the public.

The Centre of Excellence for Research in Target Discovery is expected to begin operations in 2015. The call for research proposals is available at www.fapesp.br/en/8727. The cooperative agreement can be found at www.fapesp.br/en/8726.