Tufts Launches Institute for Biopharmaceutical Partnerships

Web site of Tufts global pharmaceutical partnering initiative includes more than 50 experts from six university research centers, and focuses on five thematic areas of drug discovery and development expertise

BOSTON, Feb. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tufts University today announced the public launch of the Tufts Institute for Biomedical Partnerships Web site/HUB:  www.tuftspharmapartners.org.  

The Institute is a university-wide, global pharmaceutical partnering initiative designed to create and manage a diverse portfolio of drug discovery and development partnerships.

The Institute was developed and is managed by Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts University's Advancement Division.

"Our objective is to form innovative drug discovery and development alliances between Tufts and the pharma industry based on existing assets of strategic interest, while generating revenue streams to benefit the university and industry alike.  To this end, we're focused on establishing a global brand for Tufts drug discovery and development expertise," said Lawrence J. Botticelli, Ph.D., Founder and current Chief Business Officer of the Institute.

The Institute's Web site is an interactive Web medium, or "HUB", custom-developed and designed to educate and engage pharma partners, qualify partners and create distinctive alliances. The Web site functions as the Institute's principal commercialization portal, communication vehicle, strategic market resource, and information repository. It is designed to facilitate a distinctive approach to raising industry knowledge and awareness of Tufts' established expertise and the formation of important strategic alliances. Current information in the HUB includes five thematic areas of expertise derived from five different schools and one center.  The site provides immediate access to nearly 60 research activities driven by more than 50 participating faculty members with navigable information in more than 300 categories.

"The creation of the HUB and the Tufts Institute for Biopharmaceutical Partnerships represents a landmark event and presents an exciting opportunity to those of us engaged in the discovery and innovation process," said Ira Herman, Ph.D., Professor and Director of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Center for Innovations in Wound Healing Research at Tufts University School of Medicine.  "We hope that this new portal will enable us to establish meaningful partnerships focused on delivering novel therapeutics and cutting edge technologies, as well as significantly extend current standards of care and clinical practice, locally and globally."

In his recent review of the Web site/HUB, David Damassa, Ph.D., Dean, Information Technology, Tufts University School of Medicine, commented, "The recently-published Institute for Biopharmaceutical Partnerships Web site, with its innovative Global Pharma Strategy & Project Development HUB, is a wonderful new resource benefitting both the global pharmaceutical industry and Tufts University. The design of the site and its theme areas of "Discover | Collaborate | Innovate" truly capture the unique culture of Tufts University... Particularly compelling are the advanced search features of the HUB and its ability to create individual profiles so that use can be proactively connected with research and people of interest.  The new site will undoubtedly raise industry knowledge and awareness of Tufts' established expertise and ability to form strategic alliances with industry, resulting in the development of important new drugs and technologies."

The Institute Web site/HUB introduces the pharma industry to a range of thematic areas of drug discovery and development expertise:

• Innovative Therapies (Cancer, Infectious Disease, Cardiometabolic and Pulmonary Disorders, Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders),
• Technology Platforms (Biomaterials and Biological scaffolding, Genetics, Genomics and Cell Function, Translational and Clinical Pharmacology, Functional Tissue Engineering, Functional Proteomic Screens)
• Discovery & Development Services (Target Identification and Validation, Structural and Chemical Biology-Based Drug Design, Metabolic Analysis of Drug Candidates, In Vitro Models of Drug Transport, Experimental and Spontaneous Models of Disease),
• Drug Development Science (Drug Disposition and Clinical Pharmacokinetics, Clinical Pharmacology, Drug Development and Regulation, Protocol Design and Complexity, New Models of Pharmaceutical Innovation, Pharmaceutical Economics)
• Research Constellations (Establishment of non-traditional networks of robust research activities, including Regenerative Medicine, Biology and Aging, and Inflammation).

"The Web site/HUB is not simply an electronic repository of individuals, but a cogent, strategic expression of potential commercialization opportunities," said Dr Botticelli.

Researchers and companies interested in learning more about the University's drug discovery and development capabilities and how best to enter into a collaborative relationship with Tufts, can access information by navigating through the introductory "Institute" overview and learn about the Institute's focus, leadership, business model, and research, technology, and science, as well as research constellations that it represents.  Upon entering the "HUB," users can obtain relevant information regarding therapeutic areas, technology platforms, discovery and development services, drug development science, and robust non-traditional research networks, including specific Tufts University practitioners engaged in such activities.  Under "Faculty Member Profiles" detailed information on principal investigators can be obtained, including biosketches, areas of research interest, intellectual property estates, industry experiences, and relevant scientific publications.

About Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences

Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts University are international leaders in innovative medical education and advanced research. The School of Medicine and the Sackler School are renowned for excellence in education in general medicine, biomedical sciences, special combined degree programs in business, health management, public health, bioengineering and international relations, as well as basic and clinical research at the cellular and molecular level. Ranked among the top in the nation, the School of Medicine is affiliated with six major teaching hospitals and more than 30 health care facilities. Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School undertake research that is consistently rated among the highest in the nation for its effect on the advancement of medical science.

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SOURCE Tufts University