Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Florida Hospital reviewed the progress that has been made at the mid-point of their research partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.
The two-year collaboration focuses on the discovery and evaluation of new therapeutic approaches to obesity. The scientists reported benchmark data that sets the stage for a key element in future drug development—the testing of obesity drug candidates.
“The data generated thus far lays the groundwork for analysis of how individuals respond differently to disease,” says Steven R. Smith, MD, scientific director of the Florida Hospital – Sanford-Burnham Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes (TRI).
During the first year of research, the modeling of fit and obese states laid the groundwork for discovery of a candidate drug for metabolic disease. Clinical research at the TRI assessed the physiological response to dietary changes, such as high sugar or high fat consumption. Across the translational bridge at Sanford-Burnham, patient-derived samples were analyzed using advanced technologies, such as metabolomics, to measure individual response. Ultimately, these metabolic fingerprints may serve as biomarkers and novel drug targets to project how subgroups of patients may respond to new therapies.
The collaborative research project involves combining the results of fundamental laboratory studies at Sanford-Burnham with parallel studies conducted with human samples by the research team at Florida Hospital.
The partnership, launched in February 2011, aligns complementary strengths in biomedical research, clinical research, and drug development to identify and validate obesity-related biomarkers and new drug targets of mutual interest. The multi-disciplinary team of basic scientists and clinical researchers at Sanford-Burnham and the TRI provides Takeda with a research continuum from laboratory bench to patient bedside.
Release Date: Feb. 15, 2012
Source: Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
