News about Enterprise and Internationalisation
By Professor John Holloway
I have now taken over as head of Enterprise and Internationalisation from Professor Richard Oreffo who has spent five years in the role and look forward to developing the work. He wishes to thank colleagues for all their help and support in fostering links with the health and pharma industries and researchers and scientists at institutions across the world. There have been many examples of the increasing enterprise activity across the faculty fostered by Professor Oreffo during his tenure as Associate Dean.
A one day conference focused on links between translational science and the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries attracted 150 delegates including undergraduates, postgraduates and early career researchers interested in learning more about biomedical science ‘from the bench to the clinic’. External speakers included senior figures from Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The University’s Health Pharma University Industry Strategy Team (UIST) was established in 2012 to facilitate connections between researchers, clinicians and companies in the healthcare and pharma sector and works closely with the Faculty.
Southampton is to share in £25.5million to support a new programme of discovery science to combat respiratory viral infections. Dr Tom Wilkinson, who is also a consultant with the research company Retroscreen, led the scientific strategy team which was successful in the funding round at the London Stock Exchange. The money will finance research to tackle the viruses that cause colds and flu which can be life threatening for people with asthma and COPD.
A key activation molecule, developed by the University of Southampton, which enables the body’s own immune system to fight cancer has been issued a US patent. CD27 is found on T cells and can be manipulated by certain antibodies to fight cancer. It is this process that has been issued the patent: Human immune therapies using a CD27 agonist alone or in combination with other immune modulators by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in July. We have a proven record stretching back to the 1980s of taking ideas from cancer immunology research and delivering them into patient treatments, including anti-cancer antibodies and vaccines, Professors Aymen Al-Shamkhani and Martin Glennie are working with Celldex Therapeutics to develop a human monoclonal antibody (mAb) called CDX-1127 that activates CD27. This drug is currently in Phase 1 clinical testing for the treatment of a range of advanced solid and blood cancers.
A group from the Medical School was in Asia earlier in the year to visit leading universities in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong to promote research collaborations and joint PhD opportunities and meet alumni. The team included Professors Richard Oreffo, and Iain Cameron, Dr Chris Stephens and Dr Sylvia Pender and myself. In return we have welcomed visitors from the International Medical University, Malaysia, the Taipei Medical University, Taiwan and Zhejiang University in China. Dr Pender will be returning to Singapore in November. leading a delegation to explore research links in GI and Hepatology with colleagues in Singapore.