Scottish Multi-Million Pound Health Link-Up with South Korea
The University of Aberdeen and one of its spin-out companies Haptogen, have secured two multi-million pound research partnerships with South Korea, thanks, in part, to an intensive effort over five years by Scottish Development International to build relationships between Scotland and South Korea's life sciences communities. The deals focus on research into drugs to combat Alzheimer's disease and infectious diseases such as the "Superbug" MRSA.
The partnerships are the first projects awarded funding under the International Collaborative Research Programme for Drug Development in which Scottish organisations partner with Korean organisations to compete for up to £1m per year from the South Korean Government through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.
The combined total of the deals won by Dr Bettina Platt from the University's School of Medical Sciences and biotechnology spin-out Haptogen is worth £2 million in the first year with the South Korean government and the South Korean companies providing matched funding. The initial commitment to the projects is for 6 years with the potential to extend for another 3 years in to the clinic. This puts the total potential investment in these projects in Scotland at £18 million. Both partnerships involve major collaboration with key Korean companies.
One award is to aid Dr Platt's team to work closely with researchers at Korean company LG Life Sciences to develop new drugs for Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, and affects more than 400,000 patients, their families and carers, in the UK alone. Seven researchers will be recruited to the Aberdeen based University team, which will also be joined by a scientist from LG Life Sciences. Between 10 and 12 people will work on the project in Korea.
The second partnership is with University spin-out Haptogen who are collaborating with leading Korean pharmaceutical company DaeWoong in a deal worth £1.5M over three years to the Aberdeen company.
The deal involves the partners working to develop new drugs to fight infectious diseases, such as MRSA and Pseudomanas aeruginosa, which are both "superbugs" and serious bacterial infections associated with cystic fibrosis, patients in intensive care and patients who have suffered severe burns.
The partnership combines Haptogen's innovative approach to drug discovery with the development, manufacturing and marketing expertise of DaeWoong. The collaboration will bring new therapies, targeted at important bacterial infections, to the market.
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