The global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie has announced collaborations with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. These 5-year partnerships to advance cancer research and discovery in oncology will focus on several areas of oncology research and may include lung, colorectal, breast, prostate, and hematologic cancers.
Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD
William Nelson, MD, PhD
“The ability to investigate new therapeutic agents with AbbVie provides us with a great opportunity to expand our translational oncology efforts,” said Leonidas C. Platanias, MD, PhD, Director of the Lurie Cancer Center. “Our partnership with AbbVie will facilitate and accelerate the development of innovative new therapies against a wide variety of different cancers.”
“The importance of cancer research is critical to developing new therapies that could have life-changing implications,” said William Nelson, MD, PhD, Director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. “Opportunities to advance science and further research help move us in a direction to yield positive outcomes.”
Collaborative Agreement
As part of the collaborative agreement, a joint steering committee consisting of representatives from each organization will determine the research projects that the collaboration will undertake. Researchers from Johns Hopkins and AbbVie will also participate in an annual symposium to discuss their joint research and evaluate potential new projects.
The collaboration provides Lurie Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins physicians and scientists with the opportunity to access new therapies developed by AbbVie for preclinical research funded under the agreement. Moreover, scientists will also work closely with AbbVie’s research teams to support scientific knowledge exchange. In addition, the agreement provides AbbVie with the option to obtain an exclusive license of certain Lurie Cancer Center and Johns Hopkins discoveries made as a result of the 5-year collaboration.
Gary Gordon, MD, PhD
“One of the best steps AbbVie can take to deliver new therapies in oncology is to combine our research and discovery expertise with the talents and insight of our colleagues in academic medicine,” said Gary Gordon, MD, PhD, Vice President, Oncology Clinical Development, AbbVie, commenting on the Lurie collaboration. “The opportunity to work with leading researchers and clinicians from the Lurie Cancer Center enhances AbbVie’s ability to help oncology patients even more in the future.”
Dr. Gordon commented on the Johns Hopkins collaboration: “As an alumnus and a former faculty member of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, I know from my own experience that we will be able to combine AbbVie’s expertise in oncology with some of the most talented academic researchers in the field of medicine today. This collaboration will combine our resources and talent with Johns Hopkins to help further advance our ability to develop new therapies available for cancer patients in need.” ■
