Merck Serono and Selvita announce research collaboration in cancer

28-Oct-2013 - Germany

Merck Serono and Selvita announced that they have entered into a collaboration to jointly discover small molecule based drugs targeting proteins involved in cancer cell metabolism. The partners plan to target key metabolic pathways involved in sustaining growth and proliferation of cancer cells.

The aim of the collaboration is to deliver potential first-in-class molecules as candidate drugs for multiple oncology indications. Both companies will contribute to the collaboration’s research goals and bring their expertise in target validation, bioinformatics, medicinal chemistry, in vitro and in vivo biology and toxicology. Milestone payments will be made to Selvita if Merck Serono initiates development programs or successfully commercializes collaboration candidates.

"As part of our strategy, we utilize the strong technical expertise of our partners to constantly enrich our pipeline with truly differentiated molecules," said Susan Jane Herbert, Executive Vice President, Head of Business Development & Strategy at Merck Serono. “Given the capabilities of Selvita in the area of oncology, we believe that this new partnership will complement our drug discovery efforts, delivering molecules that aim to transform patients' lives."

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