Pfizer to collaborate with SMC on liver cancer treatments

Pfizer has agreed a new partnership with Samsung Medical Center (SMC) which will see the two organisations ally to produce new therapies for liver cancer.

The agreement will involve the analysis of tumours taken from patients in SMC’s native Korea, with the aim of developing gene expression profiles to underpin future medical research and drug discovery.

This will build on both organisations’ existing initiatives against cancer, with liver cancer considered to be a particularly prevalent healthcare threat in the Asian region.

Neil Gibson, vice-president of the oncology research unit at Pfizer, said that future research efforts will also be aided by its plan to share ownership of all collected data with SMC.

He added: “This partnership will serve as a great opportunity to combine Pfizer’s know-how in drug development and Samsung Medical Center’s extensive genome information and technology in the liver cancer area.”

Earlier this week, Pfizer presented data from a number of new studies on Alzheimer’s disease, designed to illustrate the healthcare and financial burden caused by the condition.