Innovation

Bridging the gap between industry and academic research with Open Targets

April 2024

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MSD is pleased to be the latest partner to join the Open Targets Consortium, a public-private partnership that aims to tackle high attrition rates of potential new therapies in clinical trials, aiding MSD’s drug discovery efforts in London and globally. 

Research shows that clinical trials are more likely to succeed when the link between the disease and the drug target is supported by evidence from genetics and genomics studies.[1] By generating and interpreting the evidence that informs decision making in drug target discovery, the consortium helps bridge the gap between industry and academic research.

Joining other industry and research partners, MSD will support Open Targets to accelerate the development of safe and effective medicines by leveraging cutting-edge technologies to identify, prioritise, and validate potential drug targets.

MSD’s expertise in drug discovery, combined with the consortium’s comprehensive tool that optimises target validation, extensive research portfolio and cutting-edge informatics approaches to address all elements of human health and disease, enables a specific focus on immunology and inflammation, oncology, and neurodegeneration.

Founded in 2014, the partnership endeavours to share data, methods and knowledge generated by the consortium with the wider scientific community.

“We are pleased to join the Open Targets consortium and believe this unique public-private model will allow us to leverage large-scale genomics data along with advances in AI and machine learning, so we can better understand the underlying drivers of disease and enable more efficient target discovery,” said Iya Khalil, Vice President and Head of Data, AI and genome sciences, MSD Research Laboratories. “We look forward to working closely with our partners at Open Targets.”

1. Ochoa et al. (2022) Human genetics evidence supports two-thirds of the 2021 FDA-approved drugs. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, Rusina et al. (2023) Genetic support for FDA-approved drugs over the past decade. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery

GB-NON-09349 | April 2024

Innovation

MSD signs lease on Discovery Centre and UK HQ in London

May 2022

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[Photo: Artist impression of future new Discovery Centre and Headquarters in London]

This will be a new, 25,000 square metre specialised office life sciences laboratory and office facility strategically located at the heart of London’s Knowledge Quarter

MSD announced today that the Belgrove House site, carefully identified as the location of choice for a £1bn life sciences investment by the US biopharmaceutical company has been secured.

This long-term lease will allow MSD to develop a Discovery Centre and UK HQ with the aim of ensuring that innovation is at the heart of drug discovery, whilst its position in the Kings Cross area will provide proximity to leading UK academic and industry research, access to Europe, as well as offer unique collaboration opportunities.

MSD has worked collaboratively with developer, Precis Advisory Ltd., Camden Council and the local community to get to this stage. Once developed, the discovery research centre and HQ will be home to 800 MSD employees, ranging from discovery research, clinical and support roles, to marketing, finance, and administration. 

Currently, MSD has a growing discovery research team located at the London BioScience Innovation Centre and the neighbouring Francis Crick Institute. The teams have established successful scientific collaborations with leading UK institutions including The Crick and Kings College London, as well as European biotechnology companies. In addition, MSD is a founding member of Our Future Health in the UK, and an active participant in several research consortia focused in the area of neurodegeneration, one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare.

The Belgrove House development will meet high environmental sustainability standards.  MSD will also be delivering an ambitious educational outreach programme in collaboration with Camden STEAM and is steadfast in its commitment to giving back to the local community through investment, volunteering and by providing areas of the building for the public to access and use.

The developer plans to undertake the initial demolition phase this year, with construction expected to start by early 2023, finalising in late 2027.

In early 2021, MSD’s UK HQ moved from Hertfordshire to interim offices in Moorgate to be part of a thriving life-sciences ecosystem, with unrivalled access to talent and connectivity.

Speaking, following progress to exchange on the lease, Dr Fiona Marshall, Senior Vice President and Head of Discovery, Preclinical and Translational Medicine at MSD, commented:

“MSD is proud to be delivering on our UK investment plans, with a future that puts our scientists at the heart of a vibrant centre for innovation and technology development alongside leading research institutes which include some of our current research collaboration partners.  Our mission to discover and develop therapeutics that address unmet medical needs for patients with diseases of ageing is underway in earnest, harnessing the passion and potential of world-leading scientific minds across industry and academia.”

Ben Lucas, Managing Director for MSD in the UK and Ireland, commented:

“We are delighted to have signed the lease on Belgrove House, moving us tangibly forwards in our mission to save and improve lives through investing in pioneering science.  MSD is aligned to the UK’s Life Sciences Vision and committed to playing a leading role in the ecosystem here, with a focus on an innovation partnership with UK Government and the NHS that delivers for patients.  Locally, we are focused on building a strong connection with the community and on contributing positively through our work to such a vibrant environment.”

Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for Business, commented:

“I am delighted that London will be the home of MSD’s new Discovery Research Centre and UK Headquarters, further boosting London’s position as a world-leading life sciences hub.”

GB-NON-09398 | May 2024