Under the agreement, Pfizer will provide Kunkel with accessto select proprietary compounds via its Orphan and Genetic Diseases ResearchUnit, as well as relevant data regarding the compounds. Pfizer will also commitinternal resources, such as medicinal chemistry, to the collaboration. Kunkel'slaboratory, in collaboration with Carl Morris, Ph.D., from Pfizer, will testthe compounds in the DMD zebrafish model and aim at identifying candidates forfurther preclinical development.
"Here at Children's, we have the expertise in basic scienceand clinical care," said Kunkel, "but not the crucial chemical and developmentbackground that Pfizer has brought to the table."
"This agreement helps line up the pieces of the drugdevelopment pipeline for the benefit of children and adults with DMD," ErikHalvorsen, director of technology and business development for Children's, saidin a press release. "It is rare to see an industrial partner allow this kind ofaccess, and we are very pleased to have established this novel arrangement withPfizer."
Pfizer and Children's established another research agreementin June of this year, when Pfizer announced that Children's would be one ofseven hospitals in the Boston are to join its
Centers for TherapeuticInnovation, which seek to facilitate and support joint drug discovery anddevelopment through early clinical trials. The DMD agreement is a separatearrangement between the organizations.
SOURCE: Children's Hospital Boston press release
