Trio team up to advance scientific research and technologies
The collaboration will focus on research and innovation and will enable Flagship Pioneering’s ecosystem of more than 40 companies to partner with CUHP and MTI to access breakthrough S & T, clinical translation and trial support as well as crucial data and biosamples.
The initiative will also underpin career development opportunities with Flagship for Cambridge, UK scientists and students – including through the Flagship Fellowship.
The threesome plan to access exciting opportunities across other top organisations in the Cambridge life science ecosystem, encompassing the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the University of Cambridge, the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, the NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility and the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Junaid Bajwa, Senior Partner and UK head for Flagship Pioneering, said: “Our collaboration with CUHP and MTI blends breakthrough research, clinical trial support, access to data assets and accelerated talent development.
“Cambridge is one of the centerpieces of the UK’s life sciences ecosystem, and Flagship has already witnessed first-hand how the US and UK Cambridge ecosystems can potentiate each other’s innovations, with the launch last year of our first co-located company, Quotient Therapeutics.
“We are pleased to announce this collaboration with CUHP and MTI roughly one year after opening our new London hub and expect to see further momentum in cooperation between the UK rich research and life science networks and Flagship and its companies.”
Lord James O’Shaughnessy, Chair of Cambridge University Health Partners, added: “This collaboration unites two of the world’s great drivers of life sciences innovation, the city of Cambridge, UK and Flagship Pioneering, in a bid to accelerate the cutting-edge medicines and global companies of tomorrow.
“It is a fusion of scientific creativity, technological innovation, entrepreneurial flair and a can-do attitude that will allow talent from our world-leading institutes the chance to pair their academic research with Flagship’s exciting and novel approach to inventing and building bioplatform companies.
“Ultimately, we all want to change the lives of patients and create successful businesses, and we’re thrilled to be Flagship’s UK academic partner.”
Sir Tony Kouzarides, Director of the Milner Therapeutics Institute, said: “Research collaborations like this can further propel the UK’s position as a hub for biotechnology innovation. We are pleased to add Flagship’s unique approach to company creation and development to the thriving ecosystem that exists here in Cambridge, and look forward to seeing where the collaboration will lead.”
Since its launch in 2000, Flagship has originated and fostered more than 100 scientific ventures, resulting in more than $60 billion in aggregate value.
Flagship is operating with $14 billion of assets under management as of its latest capital raise, announced in July 2024. The current Flagship ecosystem comprises over 40 companies, including Foghorn Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FHTX), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Sana Biotechnology (NASDAQ: SANA), Generate Biomedicines, Quotient Therapeutics, Inari, Indigo Agriculture, and Tessera Therapeutics.