CAMBRIDGE, England, January 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Pfizer joins Astex, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Shionogi, MedImmune and Otsuka in the Milner Therapeutics Consortium 

Major research investment to work with academic scientists in Cambridge 

The Milner Therapeutics Institute today announces Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) as a partner to the Milner Therapeutics Consortium. Pfizer has agreed to join the Consortium, which enables the efficient transfer of materials between industry and academia and allocation of funds for partnering opportunities in Cambridge. Dr Ron Newbold, Vice President, External R&D Innovation at Pfizer, will join the Milner Innovation Board alongside representatives from Astex, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Shionogi, MedImmune, University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute and Sanger Institute.

The Milner Therapeutics Consortium acts as a 'match-making' service between pharmaceutical companies and researchers in Cambridge and was established in 2015. The Consortium brings together the drug development capability of pharmaceutical companies with the know-how of entire academic institutions in Cambridge and has been specifically modelled to help facilitate the speedy exchange of resources and information between partners through a pre-signed agreement. Company partners are able to work individually with academics or through joint activities in order to help accelerate drug development. The Consortium's Innovation Board includes companies and academic partners and is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction, collective research funding and collaborative activities.

Commenting on the announcement, Prof Tony Kouzarides, founder and director of the Milner Therapeutics Institute said: "We are building the foundations for a world-leading ecosystem for therapeutics research around the Milner Therapeutics Institute. We are delighted that Pfizer has joined the Consortium to develop mutually-beneficial collaborations with Cambridge academics and the Milner Therapeutics Institute. We are focussed on working with Pfizer to advance disease understanding and make a difference to therapies in the clinic."

Dr Ron Newbold, Vice President, External R&D Innovation at Pfizer, added: "We are pleased to be able to join the Milner Therapeutics Consortium and look forward to a deeper engagement in the Cambridge ecosystem. The UK has a very strong academic and biotech community, and we anticipate working with many world-class scientists that will be supported and inspired by the work of the Milner Institute in the coming years."

The Milner Therapeutics Institute is a fully integrated Institute within the University of Cambridge. The Consortium is seeking academic and industrial partners to work in all therapeutics areas. For further information on how to join the consortium, please contact Kathryn.chapman@milner.cam.ac.uk, +44-(0)1223-767111, http://www.milner.cam.ac.uk.

SOURCE Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, UK