The Best Partnership Alliance Award went to the AstraZeneca, Agendia and The Netherlands Cancer Institute's Colorectal Cancer Collaboration. This three-way collaboration between a major research-based pharmaceutical company, a innovative molecular diagnostics company, and a leading national cancer institute has the objective of accelerating the development of targeted therapies for colorectal cancer by segmenting colorectal cancer at the molecular level.
A key feature of the deal is that personalised diagnostics may be developed far earlier in the development process for new drugs than has been possible to date. "This is a model of how bio/pharma and academia can work in new paradigms involving a biotech and a pharma and a major academic research centre," the judges said. "This has the potential to pioneer new understanding of colorectal cancer and result in new diagnostics to understand a personalised approach to the treatment of this disease that does not now exist."
http://www.scripintelligence.com/awards/2011_winners/