Bayer HealthCare and Tsinghua University extend innovative drug discovery partnership 

Bayer HealthCare Company Ltd and Tsinghua University are expanding their joint research partnership relating to the Bayer-Tsinghua Joint Research Center for Innovative Drug Discovery (BTC). Both partners recently signed a new strategic agreement to collaborate in the area of biomedical sciences over the next 3 years.

 “The decision to further develop this successful research collaboration underlines Bayer’s commitment to China as an important component of its innovation strategy,” said Prof. Dr. Andreas Busch, Member of the Bayer HealthCare Executive Committee and Head of Global Drug Discovery.

“The Bayer-Tsinghua Joint Research Center for Innovative Drug Discovery has established itself as an interface to foster communication between leading experts from Tsinghua University’s Institute of Biomedicine and researchers from Bayer HealthCare,” said Prof. Yuan Si, vice president of Tsinghua University.

Headed by Dr. Shi Yigong, Professor and Dean of School of Life Sciences, senior Vice Dean, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, multiple joint research projects have been initiated at the BTC which was established by Bayer HealthCare and Tsinghua University in 2009. The joint projects focus on different research aspects starting from early research programs to gain deeper understanding of disease mechanisms, identification of new drug targets and spanning further to joint structural biology research and medicinal chemistry programs.

“A new focus of our collaboration will be the area of structural biology, where scientists from Tsinghua University will work in close collaboration with Bayer scientists to solve the 3D protein structure of biological molecular targets as a basis for new drug discovery projects.” said Dr. Shi, who also is a renowned structural biologist.

To further strengthen the relationship between Bayer and Tsinghua University a Bayer endowed chair at Tsinghua University - Institute of Biomedicine will be established in 2012. Dr. Dong Chen, with his remarkable scientific accomplishments and excellent reputation in immunology, will be honored the first chair.

“This endowed chair professorship at Tsinghua University is the first chair in life sciences funded by Bayer in China,” said Dr. Jennifer Hu, Head of Global Drug Discovery - Innovation Center China, Bayer HealthCare. “The establishment serves as another example for Bayer´s commitment to support world class research achievements.”