UQ partners with Pfizer
June 28, 2011
AUSTRALIA may become the
groundbreaker in peptide-based
medicines for the treatment of
major diseases, following an
alignment between researchers at
the University of Queensland and
drug giant Pfizer.
The partnership, made possible
by a $2.5m grant from the Australian
Research Institute as well as $2.4m
from Pfizer, will see Professors
David Craik and David Fairlie from
the UNQ’s Institute for Molecular
Bioscience work with Pfizer to
develop a new generation of
medicines that will bridge the gap
between existing orally bioavailable
small molecules and injectable
biotherapeutics by delivering a new
generation of orally active
therapies for diabetes and
cardiovascular disease and that will
help overcome the limitations of
existing treatments.
“We are engineering new types of
molecules based on peptides and
proteins that are stable enough to
be taken orally, yet sufficiently large
to be target-specific and help
lessen the side effects seen with
small molecules,” Professors Craik
and Fairlie said.
“This project will provide a
fundamental understanding for the
development of new classes of
medicines with the potential to treat
a range of diseases,” they added.
Speaking on behalf of Pfizer, Dr
Dan Grant Head of External
Research & Development
Innovation (Australia, New Zealand
and Singapore) said that peptide
research is one of the most
promising fields in the
development of the new medicines.
“The discovery of these innovative
therapies may dramatically improve
the quality of life for hundreds of
thousands of Australian diabetes
sufferers,” he said.
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