Lilly, Merck and Pfizer work to improve lung and gastric cancer treatment in Asia
Pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer have formed the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG), to accelerate research into the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Asia.
Pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer have formed the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG), to accelerate research into the most commonly diagnosed cancers in Asia.
The ACRG's goal is to improve the knowledge of cancers prevalent in Asia and to accelerate drug discovery by sharing data between group members. It will initially focus on lung and gastric cancers.
Over the next two years, Lilly, Merck and Pfizer aim to create an extensive pharmacogenomic cancer database, composed of data from approximately 2,000 tissue samples from patients with lung and gastric cancer. This will be made publicly available to researchers and, over time, further populated with clinical data from patient analysis. Comparison of the contrasting genomic signatures of these cancers could be the basis of new approaches to treatment.
ACRG is currently focused on establishing collaborative relationships throughout Asia to collect the tissue samples and data.
Lilly will ultimately provide the data to the research public through an open-source concept managed by its research site in Singapore. Lilly, Merck and Pfizer will each provide technical and intellectual expertise.
"ACRG is about sharing information for the common good," said Kerry Blanchard, Lilly's vice president and leader of drug development in China. "This company will aid researchers around the world to develop diagnostics, tailor current treatments and develop novel therapies to improve outcomes for affected patients with lung, gastric and perhaps other forms of cancer."