Taking its cue from the strong political impulse behind translational research in the UK, technology, management and systems specialist PA Consulting has announced a strategic agreement with 4D Biomedical, an experimental medicine consultancy based in Cambridge.
Combining PA’s strengths in healthcare technology and large-scale process and systems development with 4D Biomedical’s experience in setting up experimental medicine initiatives, the partnership will “support the establishment of new collaborations between NHS Trusts, leading biomedical research universities and industry partners to accelerate medical advances, both clinical and value-based”, the companies said.
The alliance will unlock the value of the UK’s patient data reservoir and clinical science infrastructure while addressing the increasing timelines, cost and failure rate of pharmaceutical research and development, they added.
It will help to speed up the development of structures, strategies and translational research hubs through which industry partners can improve their understanding of disease progression in patients, facilitated by informatics and new technologies such as imaging, micro-dosing and pharmacogenomics.
As chief executive officer George Freeman noted, 4D Biomedical has worked over the last four years with a number of leading UK hospitals and universities to form Experimental Medicine partnerships in a range of therapeutic areas.
“Unlocking the full value of these hubs by bringing in industry partners requires major investment in health informatics and research infrastructure, and will drive complex but important new models of care, reimbursement, organisational and regulatory change, which PA has extensive experience and expertise in,” he commented.
