Pfizer has partnered with King’s College London to create an open innovation laboratory for pain research.
As part of the partnership, a small team of Pfizer scientists will be based at the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases at King’s Guys Campus to conduct research in pain biology.
The Pfizer scientists will be part of a larger team at the College including academics such as Professors Steve McMahon and Stuart Bevan, who hope to develop a greater understanding of pain mechanisms and pathways.
The aim is that the combined research efforts will deliver new ideas and innovations for healthcare and patient welfare.
Gillian Burgess, Pain Research Chief Scientific Officer, Pfizer, said: “This partnership will allow our scientists to work in an academic setting and combine resources with King’s scientists to advance knowledge in this important area. We hope that this will lead to greater innovation and in turn bring benefits for patients living with pain.”
The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases is a state-of-the-art facility that brings together over 25 research groups focusing on understanding the central and peripheral nervous system.
“The basic academic work that we will be doing with Pfizer in the area of pain and receptor trafficking is closely aligned with the research interests of the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases,” said Professor Pat Doherty, Director of the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases.
“The Pfizer colleagues will have joint academic appointments within King’s College London, and will work closely together with our established teams in a truly collaborative effort aimed at understanding the fundamental mechanisms underlying chronic and neuropathic pain, conditions that affect many people.”
King’s Business is a subsidiary of the College, responsible for developing new opportunities for engagement with business and the public sector.