Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Florida Hospital have revamped obesity research partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company for the discovery of novel anti-obesity therapeutics.
The extended collaboration leverages new drug-development model that combines basic and clinical research and is expected to cut short the time required to develop new therapeutic candidates.
The Florida Hospital scientific director Steven Smith said, "As the worldwide obesity crisis continues to escalate, we are seeing a rise in the prevalence of severe obesity -- defined by BMI>40 -- and we know that this subset of the obese population experiences increased mortality and associated diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer."
In the early discovery phase, the organizations are looking to carry out two-way exchange of important insights between laboratory research and clinical testing.
TRI will assess the discoveries made at Sanford-Burnham to ensure the selection of clinically relevant targets.
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute scientific director Daniel Kelly said, "Our collaborative model for innovative bench-to-bedside translational research offers much promise for expediting new drug candidates into Takeda's development pipeline."
During the next phase, research will be carried on the therapeutic targets identified during the initial two years.
