Academia and Pharmaceutical Industry together to accelerate cancer target validation

The Animal Cell Technology Unit at IBET/ITQB-UNL, Oeiras, is part of PREDECT, an European consortium of 26 principal investigators, managed by Servier, AstraZeneca and the University of Helsinki, which brings together academic laboratories, biotechs and the pharmaceutical industry. This research network aims to develop innovative models and technologies for the preclinical evaluation of cancer therapy targets. The program of work should eventually improve the clinical success of therapies designed for the treatment of cancer. The Animal Cell Technology Unit is the only Portuguese research team participating in a consortium funded by the 2nd call of IMI - Innovative Medicines Initiative, a unique partnership between the European Union and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations. The five-year PREDECT project integrates a group of pharmaceutical companies composed of Hoffmann-La Roche, Bayer Schering Pharma, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International, Orion Pharma, Sigma-Tau and Servier whose total in-kind contributions to the project are matched by funding from the EU, resulting in a total of 17.2 Million Euros.