2006 Press Releases
GlaxoSmithKline to establish a major drug discovery collaborative research project with the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC)
Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Micheál Martin TD today
(22 August 2006) announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is establishing a
ground breaking research project with an investment of up to €14.6m
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).
Researchers from GSK'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
GSK's and the APC's unique understanding of these diseases.
Speaking at the launch in UCC, Mr. Micheál Martin TD, Minister for
Enterprise, Trade and Employment said: "This internationally novel and
exciting research project involves a high-level collaboration between
GSK, one the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, and one of
Ireland's leading research groups, APC.Ireland has created a unique
interconnected R&D landscape that encourages collaboration between
all participants in research."
"This 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 Government's strategy to actively promote
industrial-academic collaborations. Today's announcement clearly
demonstrates how the Irish system, working together, wins strategic and
significant R&D projects against world class international
competition", Minister Martin added.
GSK has a strong heritage in Ireland and employs over 1600 people
across four sites in Cork, Waterford and Dublin. GSK'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 GSK's Neurology &
GI CEDD said, "GSKis 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."
Professor Fergus Shanahan, Director of the APC, said: "The 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 Ireland'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."
The GSK-APC venture spans three major areas of research; exploratory
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 technology.
« Back to 2006 Press Releases