Benzinga | Oct 21, 2020 07:27AM EDT

Salk Institute And BridgeBio Pharma Collaborate To 'Advance Therapies for Genetically Driven Disease'

LA JOLLA and PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Salk Institute and BridgeBio Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBIO) today announced a three-year collaboration agreement formed to advance cutting-edge academic discoveries in genetically driven diseases toward therapeutic applications. Under the partnership, BridgeBio will help fund research programs from Salk's world-renowned innovative cancer research, with the eventual goal of developing new therapeutics for patients in need.

"Salk is known for its outstanding research, in particular in the field of oncology, so we are excited to enter into this partnership with BridgeBio to advance our discoveries and help develop next-generation therapies," says Salk Vice President and Chief Science Officer Martin Hetzer, Ph.D. "The partnership represents an excellent opportunity for academic research to reach new potential in the clinical setting."

"BridgeBio is focused on partnering with leading academic institutions to accelerate promising research into clinical studies, with a range of therapeutic modalities such as biologics, gene therapies and small molecules," said BridgeBio CEO and founder Neil Kumar, Ph.D. "The Salk Institute is known as a place where great science is occurring--and has occurred for decades--and we feel privileged to have the opportunity to partner with them. Through this partnership, we look forward to translating exciting academic findings into potential treatments and understanding the impact they may bring to patients."

The Salk Cancer Center is one of seven National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated basic research cancer centers in the United States. Here, researchers are using game-changing technologies to expose the molecular mechanisms underlying tumors in order to develop targeted cancer therapies. Salk is also home to the Conquering Cancer Initiative, which is a scientific and philanthropic endeavor to bring together collaborative cancer researchers to harness new strategies against five deadly cancers: pancreatic, ovarian, lung, brain (glioblastoma) and triple-negative breast. Salk's scientists aim to identify cancer's vulnerabilities in order to develop new methods that can attack the tumors while leaving the healthy tissues alone.

BridgeBio partners with academic institutions, like the Salk Institute, to support early-stage research around genetically validated targets. Through close collaboration, BridgeBio aims to rapidly translate novel discoveries into potentially life-saving treatments. The company works across multiple genetically driven diseases and therapeutic areas, helping provide the insights and support needed to rapidly bring the latest scientific advancements from the lab bench to the patient bedside. Its academia-industry collaborations focus on creating partnerships with biomedical research institutes that are built on trust, engagement, science and respect.