Merck Serono and Lead Discovery Centre agree new alliance

Merck Serono has entered into a new five-year strategic partnership with Germany's Lead Discovery Centre (LDC), a renowned translational research organisation.

The pharmaceutical company will be allying with the Dortmund-based organisation to expedite the discovery of promising lead structures and optimise the development of therapeutic candidates in areas of high unmet medical need.

A broader drug discovery collaboration will identify lead candidates to multiple drug targets, building on the existing partnership between Merck Serono and LDC in the field of oncology.

The first project under the new agreement will be in the field of immunology and emerged from LDC's ongoing collaboration with Professor Robert Huber, a Max-Planck researcher and Nobel Laureate.

Dr Susan Jane Herbert, executive vice-president and head of business development and strategy at Merck Serono, said: "This partnership is a key element of our strategy to access alliances with leading partners to enhance our pipeline of novel targets and drug candidates."

This comes after Merck Serono announced the official opening of its new corporate headquarters in Darmstadt last month.