Accelerated and more efficient drug discovery in psychiatry – the impetus behind a year of upcoming activity between the Psychiatry Consortium and BNA

Psychiatric drug discovery must be a truly collaborative process if it is to be successful. To enable a more unified approach, we need a better handover between disciplines and a systematic and structured pathway to take an identified target through the drug discovery process.

All too often industry and academia work exclusively, developing transformative work in isolation of each other and only building alliances at a later stage when necessary. Cross-disciplinary partnerships cultivated earlier in the process can take a project in a whole new direction, for the benefit of those working on the science, for the patient and the investor.

Medicines Discovery Catapult at its core focuses on strengthening connections between disparate points in the life science ecosystem. The invaluable arrangement between MDC’s Psychiatry Consortium and the British Neuroscience Association provides a platform for academic researchers working across psychiatry and their industry-based counterparts to cooperate on pioneering science.

Speaking of the partnership, Dr Laura Ajram, Psychiatry Consortium Programme Manager, said:

“This exciting alliance between the Psychiatry Consortium and the British Neuroscience Association harmonises our respective aims of cultivating innovation across the drug discovery landscape while sharing purposeful insights and expertise through our networks.

“We look forward to working closely with the BNA through this partnership, helping to forge closer ties between academia and industry and ultimately provide real impact for patients in the process.”

Sophie Sykes-Jerrold, Development Director at the BNA said:

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with such an esteemed partner, working together to build bridges between industry and academia, and further the understanding of the role that industry plays in the advancement of neuroscience in the UK and its societal benefits.”

Throughout the next 12 months the Psychiatry Consortium will be hosting joint webinars, live events and engagement activities with the BNA. We hope this partnership works to build bridges between industry and academia and create a community of likeminded, forward-thinking scientists, who are committed to multi-organisational working, cutting-edge research, and crucial breakthroughs.