The collaboration aims to develop novel preclinical models with a view to identifying new treatments
Almirall – a company which concentrates on medical dermatology – has linked up with the Centre for Genomic Regulation. The collaboration aims to develop novel preclinical models with a view to identifying new treatments for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC).
The condition poses a considerable health challenge, with basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma representing 70% and 25% of NMSC cases, respectively.
The partnership – led by Almirall’s investigators Dr Cristina Gutiérrez and Dr Amadeu Gavaldà – will also incorporate CRG group leader and ICREA research professor Luciano Di Croce and his team.
In partnership, they will establish experimental models that enable the validation of new therapeutic approaches and therapies for these diseases.
The collaboration has emerged following the request for proposals from AlmirallShare – the company’s open innovation platform dedicated to discovering treatments for skin diseases.
The platform was launched in 2017 in order to make dermatological study collaborations more straight forward and the development of new skin condition treatments more rapid.
Professor Di Croce was optimistic about the collaboration: “NMSC is not an aggressive cancer, meaning it has been historically difficult to model this disease in the lab. However, important technological advances combined with multiple ‘omics’ approaches allow now to create truly functional scientific models for this skin cancer.”
He added: “Thus, it is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with Almirall and make important advances in studying one of the most frequent types of cancer.”
Karl Ziegelbauer, Almirall’s chief scientific officer, explained: “At Almirall, we regularly identify external collaborations that can leverage and complement our internal capabilities and research. This collaboration with CRG brings us closer to our Noble Purpose of delivering world-class solutions that make a difference in patients’ lives.”
He added: “It also reaffirms the success of our open innovation platform AlmirallShare as a key tool for building strategic partnerships.”
