title: Pioneering government-sponsored drug repositioning collaborations: progress and learning.
abstract: A new model for translational research and drug repositioning has recently been established based on three-way partnerships between public funders, the pharmaceutical industry and academic investigators. Through two pioneering initiatives - one involving the Medical Research Council in the United Kingdom and one involving the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health in the United States - new investigations of highly characterized investigational compounds have been funded and are leading to the exploration of known mechanisms in new disease areas. This model has been extended beyond these first two initiatives. Here, we discuss the progress to date and the unique requirements and challenges for this model.
authors.affiliation: Emerging Innovations Unit, Scientific Partnering &Alliances, AstraZeneca, 35 Gatehouse Drive, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA.|Research and External Science and Innovation, Allergan, Inc., 2525 Dupont Drive, Irvine, California 92612, USA.
authors.forename: Donald E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Frail
authors.affiliation: Emerging Innovations Unit, Scientific Partnering &Alliances, AstraZeneca, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Herts SG8 6EE, UK.|Global Medical Affairs Oncology, Global Medicines Development, Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Herts SG8 6EE, UK.
authors.forename: Madeleine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.affiliation: Emerging Innovations Unit, Scientific Partnering &Alliances, Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Herts SG8 6EE, UK.
authors.forename: K Jane
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Escott
authors.affiliation: Emerging Innovations Unit, Scientific Partnering &Alliances, Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Herts SG8 6EE, UK.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.affiliation: Emerging Innovations Unit, Scientific Partnering &Alliances, Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Herts SG8 6EE, UK.
authors.forename: Hitesh J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Sanganee
authors.affiliation: Innovative Medicines and Early Development Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Melbourn Science Park, Cambridge Road, Melbourn, Herts SG8 6EE, UK.
authors.forename: Menelas N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Pangalos
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council, 14th Floor, One Kemble Street, London WC2B 4AN, UK.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Watkins
authors.affiliation: Emerging Innovations Unit, Scientific Partnering &Alliances, AstraZeneca, 35 Gatehouse Drive, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA.
authors.forename: Craig D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Wegner
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004345:Drug Industry; D058492:Drug Repositioning / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D006078:Government Programs / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D033161:Government Regulation; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D017146:Models, Organizational; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends