BRI enters 3-year partnership with Roche to develop human immunology programs

Dec 4 2010

Focus on cancer vaccines, auto-immune disease diagnostics and treatment

Baylor Research Institute (BRI), the research arm of Baylor Health Care System, announced that it has formed a three-year partnership with Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) to jointly develop programs emerging from the human immunology platforms developed at the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research (BIIR), a component of BRI.

These programs will leverage BIIR's leading position in human immunology with particular focus on cancer vaccines, auto-immune disease diagnostics and treatment, proprietary platforms in biosignature and antibody development, with a view at identifying new leads that could be in-licensed by Roche. A Joint Research Committee will determine the most promising projects in that context, to be funded by Roche over a three-year period.

BRI will retain sole responsibility for programs outside the jointly developed projects.

"The worldwide reputation in human immunology established by Jacques Banchereau  and his team over the years and the uniqueness of some of their programs clearly fit Roche's strategic discovery plans for novel approaches in diagnosing and treating diseases where our company wants to expand its franchise," said Jean-Jacques Garaud, MD., Head of Roche Pharma Research & Early Development (pRED).

Banchereau, formerly the director at BIIR, is senior vice president, head of the Inflammation and Virology Discovery and Translational Areas and chief scientific officer at Roche.

"The partnership with a world leader such as Roche will help tremendously in accelerating the translation of our leading innovative science in human immunology, into diagnostics and treatments that will benefit patients worldwide," said Michael A.E. Ramsay, MD., FRCA, president of BRI.