23 Sep 2019
New agreement with Pfizer to identify novel targets for cancer therapy
The University of Melbourne at the Doherty Institute has entered into an agreement with Pfizer to identify and validate new targets for cancer therapy.
The new agreement will provide support to immunity mechanisms research led by Associate Professor Laura Mackay from the University’s Department of Immunology & Microbiology based at the Doherty Institute.
Associate Professor Mackay said it is increasingly apparent that immune cells are the key to developing better oncology treatments.
“This research project will potentially enable development of therapies to target tissue-resident lymphocytes that are key players for cancer control”, Associate Professor Mackay said.
Over the next three years Associate Professor Mackay’s team will build on a considerable body of immunotherapy research and focus on early stage target identification with support from this agreement.
University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Associate Dean (Research) Professor Mike McGuckin welcomed the support from Pfizer through the new research agreement.
“Associate Professor Mackay’s work has great relevance for cancer immunotherapy and her collaboration with Pfizer could ultimately help accelerate the discovery of potential novel therapies for these diseases,” Professor McGuckin said.
“The University of Melbourne is seeking to deepen its relationships with industry and this support from Pfizer is a great example of the synergy that can be found between high quality fundamental research and the translational drug development expertise of industry.”