Researchers at Oxford Health BRC have created a new hub to foster collaboration with industry in the field of experimental medicine, helping to accelerate the rate at which new treatments can begin to benefit patients.
The Experimental Medicine Industry Partnership (EMIP) will provide a framework through which BRC researchers can use their expertise to support commercial organisations implementing experimental medicine approaches in psychiatric treatment development programmes.
The hub will build on the BRC’s existing strong track record of working with industry and will facilitate the translation of evidence from preclinical models to early clinical trials.
Dr Susannah Murphy, deputy theme lead of the experimental medicine BRC theme, explains:
The EMIP is a fantastic opportunity for our industry partners to draw on the BRC’s expertise in a whole host of areas including cognitive neuroscience, pharmacology, neurostimulation, neuroimaging, sleep, digital wearables, drug repurposing, psychological treatment, lifestyle interventions, gut health and precision psychiatry. By offering tailored peer review and advice the hub will help to more rapidly progress new treatments into clinical trials, bringing them a step closer to improving the lives of our patients
The EMIP launches today, July 7 2021, with an AIM day in experimental medicine in psychiatry. This online event will bring academic excellence from across the BRC and the University of Oxford together with 15 innovative companies. Throughout the day researchers will address some of the most pressing challenges in the field of experimental medicine, as identified by industry partners.
Professor Cath Harmer, BRC theme lead for experimental medicine, who is leading on the AIM day said:
This AIM day marks the launch of our Experimental Medicine and Industry Partnership in Psychiatry. I am so excited to take part in the discussions on this day focusing on the most urgent questions raised by industry – with over 70 Oxford academics registered to have a go at answering them. Experimental medicine is a core part of translating work from the lab to the clinic and will be important for innovation and development of next generation treatments in psychiatry and beyond.
Researchers at the AIM day will provide insights into industry challenges such as how to use artificial intelligence to advance drug repurposing in psychiatry and how biomarkers could predict the real world impact of psychiatric conditions.
Preeya Patel of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, one of the participating companies, said:
The AIM day is a fantastic opportunity to meet researchers and collaborate to discuss and develop a deeper understanding of challenges that Jazz encounter and to seek solutions to better develop molecules for patients.
Find out more about the participating organisations and the questions being addressed at the AIM day here.
