London Genetics agrees deal to commercialise academic research with Quintiles

London Genetics, the company set up to commercialise genetic research carried out in the city’s leading universities and research institutes, has sealed an agreement with the pharmaceutical contract research body Quintiles to collaborate in the development of biomarkers, as the basis of personalised medicines. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Thomas Wollman, Senior Vice President, Quintiles Global Central Laboratories, said, “Through our alliance with London Genetics, we have world-class expertise to help early adopters of personalised medicine use genomic technologies to improve drug discovery and development.”

Dominique Kleyn, CEO of London Genetics, said the alliance will support pharma companies in their interactions with academic partners and the development of personalised medicine. “Our expertise in pharmacogenetic strategy development combined with Quintiles’ expertise and infrastructure in biomarker development gives biopharma companies a powerful ally in harnessing the value of genomic data for drug development.”

London Genetics works with genetics researchers in London to provide pharmacogenetic expertise to the biopharmaceutical industry. It can help companies to partner with relevant academics and clinicians, to apply genetic knowledge to de-risk clinical trials, to design and manage projects and to access patient cohorts.

The not-for-profit company was set up in 2007 with funding from the London Development Agency. Its seven founding partners are leading London academic and medical institutions, and it has access to 3,000 academic groups with a £650 million annual research spend.