Pfizer is revving up its engines to get those planned R&D changes into high gear. The drugmaker says it’s pumping $100 million into its international stem cell development program. The company’s new regenerative medicine unit in Cambridge, U.K. will become Pfizer’s top stem cell research site, with the headcount expected to increase by 50 percent to 45.
First announced in November of 2008, the independent research unit–Pfizer Renegerative Medicine–is split between the company’s Cambridge, MA site and the Cambridge, UK base. Led by Chief Scientific Officer Ruth McKernan, the unit focuses on small molecules and cell therapy. “The important thing is that we will contribute something that will start opening to cell-based therapies. We are attempting to take it to the next stage and make it scaleable and practical,” McKernan tells Business Weekly.
Pfizer’s cash injection is the single highest funding the stem cell discipline has ever received from the corporate sector, the paper reports. But “it’s more than just the money–it’s about opening dialogue with the regulators, that’s where the money merit is,” McKernan explains.
The drugmaker has made collaborations a priority for the new research unit. So far, Pfizer has announced a deal with the University College of London to develop treatments for blindness. UCL, in turn, has a related deal with the U.K.'s struggling Intercytex, which is providing the partners with an embryonic stem cell line in exchange for research funding. Earlier this week, the drugmaker also announced a deal week with University of Wisconsin’s Alumni Research Foundation for use of their human embryonic stem cells.
Nice find, this is a big deal. Intercytex could never move forward on their own, that’s not the way the system works. Regardless of the industry, banking, telecom, energy, pharmacueticals, etc. The big boys are the ones that make the rules and get the laws changed in their favor. Hopefully it will result in something positive, and not repression of future treatments.
I do have a question about this. Intercytex is testing a number of different products for different causes. Would this funding help Intercytex’s hair regeneration program?
I don’t think so, it’s for their treatment for blindness.
They seems not very interesting ( what a surprise!) by the hair treatment made by intercytex!
Well it seems like they’re going to use this money for their blindness treatment… not sure if any of the money will be allocated toward hair regeneration
» » No where in this article does it state specifically blindness. They will
» go
» » the route of least resistance and most profit.
»
» http://www.intercytex.com/icx/news/releases/2009/2009-04-24/
»
» “Intercytex Group plc welcomes announcement of Pfizer - UCL
» collaboration on macular degeneration”
it didn’t say anything about Intercytex’s baldness research.
About the only positive hair loss spin that could be put on this story is the validation of ICX as a functioning research entity. Some other outsider company felt that something ICX did was legitimate enough to get involved with.
There’s no reason to see any direct hair progress inherent in this news at all.
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