Pfizer has expanded its Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI), which is dedicated to establishing partnerships with academic medical centers, into the development of small-molecule drug candidates through a partnership with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). This partnership provides investigators from UCSF with access to Pfizer's small-molecule drug development capabilities, working with Pfizer scientists with the goal of jointly translating basic research into drug candidates to bring new therapies to patients.

The collaboration builds upon an October 2010 agreement between CTI and UCSF in large-molecule (biologics) discovery, with both agreements aiming to accelerate the translation of biomedical research into new medications and therapies. CTI will provide UCSF with funding and scientific expertise to support preclinical and clinical development of selected small-molecule research programs. If drug candidates achieve agreed-upon objectives, the partnership between CTI and UCSF could move from discovery into clinical trials.

"We know from two years of working on biologic projects that CTI's collaborative model works," said Anthony Coyle, Ph.D., CTI's chief scientific officer. "By expanding our mandate, CTI can engage additional investigators and extend our scientific core within this successful model."