PHILADELPHIA, PA – October 22, 2018 – The University City Science Center and global biotechnology leader CSL Behring, which has its operational headquarters in King of Prussia, PA, are partnering to identify and help commercialize potential new medicines at research and academic institutions across the Greater Philadelphia region.
Through the partnership agreement, the Science Center’s framework for technology commercialization, services and support – which starts with the QED Proof-of-Concept Program that advances scientific breakthroughs – along with the Science Center’s network of research and academic partners, will provide the support and infrastructure for CSL Behring to efficiently evaluate promising technologies from multiple institutions. Researchers at academic and research institutions through the region will be invited to submit proposals for projects with a focus on therapeutics that fit within CSL Behring’s areas of expertise, including inflammatory and autoimmune diseases; hematological and coagulation disorders; transplantation; cardiovascular and metabolic diseases; respiratory diseases; and neurological disorders.
Projects selected for further review will be matched with CSL Behring advisors, who will work with the researchers to develop proof-of-concept plans for the technologies. Altogether, awarded projects will receive a total of up to $250,000 in research funding from CSL Behring, together with scientific and in-kind support including reagent generation and consultancy on drug development strategy. The partner institution will add up to another $50,000.
“Innovation has been key to our success for more than 100 years and we are pleased to collaborate with the Science Center and academic partners to advance innovation in a region of strategic importance to CSL,” says Andrew Nash, CSL’s Senior Vice President of Research. “By working together to focus on novel targets that are supported in whole or in part by proof-of-concept data, we continue delivering on our promise of developing new medicines that save and protect the lives of people around the world.”
We’re enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with an international leader like CSL Behring and connect them with the region’s top research institutions to develop promising technologies that have real market potential
“For the last 10 years, the Science Center’s commercialization platform has been a unique and effective resource for sourcing new ideas, technologies and research,” says Peter Melley, Director of New Ventures at the Science Center. “We’re enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with an international leader like CSL Behring and connect them with the region’s top research institutions to develop promising technologies that have real market potential.”
Since QED’s inception in 2009, the Science Center and QED participating institutions have awarded over $6 million in combined funding to 34 projects. Those projects have gone on to raise over $22 million in follow-on funding. To date, a total of 10 technologies have been licensed through the program, and eight companies have been launched.
The Science Center and CSL Behring intend to accelerate the innovation and advancement of research ideas that otherwise might not come to fruition into developed products. The partnership between the Science Center and CSL Behring is especially timely in light of the Greater Philadelphia Region’s growing reputation as a biotechnology hub.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients’ needs by using the latest technologies, we develop and deliver innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn. CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL;USOTC:CSLLY), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs more than 22,000 people, and delivers its life-saving therapies to people in more than 60 countries. For inspiring stories about the promise of biotechnology, visit Vita CSLBehring.com/vita and follow us on Twitter.com/CSLBehring.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a business’s lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO – and beyond. For more information about the Science Center, go to www.sciencecenter.org
