Bayer and Broad Institute extend cancer therapy research collaboration

Long-standing industry-academia collaboration has already resulted in three clinical oncology candidates

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have renewed their research alliance, adding five years to a 10-year collaboration that has already yielded three clinical oncology candidates. This research collaboration is aimed at identifying cancer targets and exploring novel therapeutic approaches in oncology with the goal of bringing more medicines to patients.

"In order to make a meaningful impact on the lives of patients, academia and industry need to partner and draw on each other's expertise," said William Sellers, core member of the Broad Institute and director of the institute's Cancer Program. "Through this alliance, Broad and Bayer have done just that. Combining Broad's expertise in cancer biology and state-of-the-art drug discovery methods with Bayer's expertise in drug development greatly increases our power to bring transformative medicines to cancer patients."

"We are constantly working to discover novel ways to treat this devastating disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Our joint goal is to bring innovation to cancer patients by building a robust, sustainable pipeline in oncology," said Dominik Ruettinger, Global Head of Research and Early Development for Oncology, Pharmaceuticals Division, Bayer AG. "Bayer's established collaboration with the Broad Institute has already resulted in three clinical oncology candidates over the past decade. We look forward to continuing our work with renowned Broad scientists to advance additional innovative cancer targets into clinical development."

Established in 2013, the Bayer-Broad collaboration is uniquely structured to encourage close coordination and ongoing, face-to-face interactions between researchers at both organizations. The research is guided by joint project and governance teams. In addition to identifying investigational drugs for novel oncology targets and generating the associated intellectual property, the organizations will continue to openly share the biological knowledge generated with the scientific community, including through publicly available datasets and publications in academic journals.

As a result of this collaboration, Bayer's mutant EGFR/HER2 inhibitor is currently in Phase I of clinical trials. This is the first reversible small molecule inhibitor targeting EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations and HER2 activating mutations to undergo clinical testing.

About Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard was launched in 2004 to empower this generation of creative scientists to transform medicine. The Broad Institute seeks to describe the molecular components of life and their connections; discover the molecular basis of major human diseases; develop effective new approaches to diagnostics and therapeutics; and disseminate discoveries, tools, methods and data openly to the entire scientific community.

Founded by MIT, Harvard, Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and the visionary Los Angeles philanthropists Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Broad Institute includes faculty, professional staff and students from throughout the MIT and Harvard biomedical research communities and beyond, with collaborations spanning over a hundred private and public institutions in more than 40 countries worldwide.

SOURCE Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard