LDC enters new drug discovery partnership with Roche

The Lead Discovery Centre (LDC) and Roche have announced that they are to collaborate to identify and leverage innovative therapeutic opportunities that address diseases of unmet medical need across several disease areas.

Projects will be sourced from the LDC’s academic partners, including leading universities and institutes from the Max Planck Society and the Helmholtz Association, as well as from Roche’s innovation network. The partners will work together to advance projects from as early as target level up to the identification of a preclinical candidate. Over an initial three year period, LDC will act as a translational incubator for Roche and carry out small molecule projects in close collaboration with the scientific inventors and their academic institutions.

Commenting on the announcement, Dr Bert Klebl, CEO of the LDC, said, “We are delighted to team up with Roche, the world’s largest biotech company. We are impressed by their deep expertise across many disease areas and the perfect cultural fit with our team. We are definitely on the same wavelength regarding our approach to early drug discovery and share a mission to transform academic innovation into tangible benefits to patients.”

Upon attainment of a predefined milestone, Roche has option rights to an exclusive license. The terms and conditions of collaboration and licensing will be agreed on a project-by-project basis to ensure a fair balance of investments and potential returns between the partners. Any revenue the LDC may receive from a potential future commercialisation will be shared with the academic inventors and collaborating institutions. Roche’s contributions will include research funding and possibly in-kind support required for optimal project progress, such as access to compound libraries.