NEW DELHI—Duke University has partnered with Indian CustomResearch and Manufacturing Services (CRAMS) firm Jubilant Organosys that seeksto speed up the translation of discoveries by Duke scientists into clinicaltherapies, with the ultimate goal of reducing global health disparities.
Under the terms of this proposed partnership, Duke andJubilant will work towards jointly selecting and managing a portfolio oftranslational research projects that leverages expertise and thought leadershipfrom Duke University scientists and development capabilities including fundingfrom Jubilant. At the conclusion of their five-year partnership, the companieshope to develop a portfolio of four to five technologies.
Both parties are entitled to undisclosed milestones androyalties. Royalties paid to Duke would be churned back into support ofpromising faculty discovery research and further investments in translationaltechnologies.
In addition, Jubilant and Duke will collaborate on twoinnovative biomarker studies to be conducted in Kolkata, India. One will be thedevelopment of a cohort to gain insights into the clinical and molecularcharacteristics of several chronic diseases highly prevalent in the Indianpopulation and to better understand these diseases in the context oftransitioning rural to urban populations. The second study will validate in anIndian population, with heart disease and diabetes, metabolomic biomarkersignatures found to be associated with insulin resistance and cardiovasculardisease in Caucasian populations.
Jubilant will fund the pilot phase of thesestudies in India and both studies will be led by Dr. Svati Shah, assistant professorin the Division of Cardiology at Duke University School of Medicine and theDuke Global Health Institute (DGHI).
The Duke Translational Medicine Institute (DTMI) and theOffice of Licensing and Ventures (OLV) will coordinate the translationalresearch component of this partnership for Duke University, while the DGHI will coordinate the cohort studies component.
"I believeacademic health sciences centers have the ability and the collectiveresponsibility to transform medicine, improve health and reduce healthdisparities locally and globally," said Dr. Victor J. Dzau, chancellor forHealth Affairs at Duke and CEO of the Duke University Health System. "However,achievement of these goals necessitates the development of a continuum thatspans discovery and translation sciences, and must include optimal partnershipsthat are not limited by geography. Partnerships with like-minded leading globalhealthcare entities, such as Jubilant, will be critically important in makingthis possible."
