The Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation

Friday 24th October, 2003 Opening of World-Class Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation

The five-storey IPI will give the pharmaceutical industry an unrivalled research base to bring new drugs to the global market.

The IPI will use the very latest artificial intelligence and simulation-based computer methods together with advanced analytical research, to predict how drugs will behave in the human body.

Developing a new drug takes between 8 and 12 years, costing on average $800m, but the IPI research programme aims to reduce this time and cost.

Using computational prediction and advanced analytical methods can drastically reduce the cost of developing new medicines as much of the design, formulation and manufacturing of drugs can be optimised ‘in silico’ (with computer simulation) rather than by conventional testing.

Director of the IPI Paul Thorning (pictured right) said: “This is an exciting time for all of us involved with the development of new drugs.

“The IPI will be a truly world-class facility and it is our vision that it will make a significant contribution to innovation in healthcare – both through its own research activities and in providing high quality services to bioscience businesses.”

The lower floors of the IPI will house the analytical, laboratory and computational facilities that will be used by both the University’s researchers and pharmaceutical industry clients.

Yorkshire Forward logo and link.Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, has sponsored the top floor of the building which will act as an ‘incubator’ to support new enterprises. It is hoped the Institute will create a number of spin-offs and create a cluster of innovative bioscience companies in Yorkshire. The University of Bradford has a strong track record in this area with past successes including the establishment of Bradford Particle Design (now part of Nektar Therapeutics), which was sold for $200m.

Funding for the institute has come from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (1.875m), Yorkshire Forward (2m), the DTI’s Science and Research Investment Fund (2.63m) and 280,000 from other funds.

Head of Chemicals and Bioscience at Yorkshire Forward, Paul Ellwood, said: “The University of Bradford has a very strong reputation for producing high quality research in pharmaceuticals.

“Yorkshire Forward is pleased to be sponsoring the incubator element of the IPI which will provide a platform for even greater success for the University and the Yorkshire and Humber bioscience cluster.”

Among guests attending the opening with Lord Sainsbury are Director General of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Professor Trevor Jones, Yorkshire and Humber MEPs Richard Corbett and David Bowe and City of Bradford Lord Mayor Allan Hillary.
Media Note:

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