Syngene International and Deerfield Discovery and Development Corporation (3DC), the drug discovery and development subsidiary of Deerfield Management Company, have signed an agreement to collaborate to advance therapeutic discovery projects, from target validation through to pharmacological proof of concept and preclinical evaluation. This five-year collaboration unites the core skills of the investment management company Deerfield, through its drug discovery and development arm 3DC, and Syngene's integrated drug discovery (IDD) services.

"Syngene will deliver fully integrated therapeutic discovery programs for 3DC,” said Jonathan Hunt, managing director and chief executive officer, Syngene. “Syngene is an industry-leading collaboration partner for pharma, biotech, and venture capital firms, and we are delighted to have 3DC as a major strategic partner. Their reputation for identifying highly promising science is a great fit with our ability to lead and deliver world-class scientific execution for their growing portfolio."

Mike Foley, chief executive officer, 3DC, said, "This collaboration forms an important part of our execution strategy. When we identify a promising biological target, our goal is to discover and deliver the best possible therapeutic agent to the clinic as quickly and safely as possible. We believe the Syngene-Deerfield collaboration may provide critical new therapeutic options with pace and efficiency that could improve the lives of many patients."

3DC has selected Syngene as a key execution partner for a developing portfolio of molecular entities, spanning multiple therapeutic areas and modalities. The ultimate goal is to deliver much-needed benefit to patients suffering from serious, unmet medical needs through innovation, scale, quality, and speed-to-market.

The collaboration will start with immediate effect and is expected to run for an initial cycle of 5 years.