PharmaMar's research activity is its best contribution to society, both present and future. Its leading position in terms of private sector R&D spending is evidenced in the numerous studies and cooperation projects in which it is involved with prestigious universities and specialised research institutes throughout the world.

PharmaMar's Clinical Department works with over 160 hospitals in Europe, the USA and Canada where the studies required for product development during clinical trials are carried out. Bioprospection efforts are assisted by universities and centres for marine biology throughout the world to enable the company to comply with global and local regulations on biodiversity while engaging in joint initiatives to expand knowledge of flora and fauna in each marine habitat.

 

PharmaMar's unceasing research efforts have won government support for innovative projects based on cooperation between various companies and government research centres.

 

This project is part of the INNPACTO programme of cooperation between the public and private sectors. The Polysfera project seeks to encapsulate PharmaMar's antitumour molecules in nanocapsule structures made of new polymers developed by EcoPol which respond to external and cellular stimuli. These highly stable systems are configured to select a target organ or cell using specific recognition ligands. Barcelona Science Park and the CIBBIM-Nanomedicine unit of Vall d'Hebrón University Hospital are contributing their experience in the design and biological evaluation of highly-specific molecules, providing a guarantee of excellence in this project. Duration 2010-2013

 

 

CEN-2009-1016 

           

 

ONCOLOGICA is a consortium comprised of eight biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, most of which are Spanish. The consortium, which is headed by pharmaceutical company PharmaMar, S.A., has a project under way entitled “New strategies based on Biomarkers for cancer detection and prognostic, response prediction and the development of new drugs”. Research on biomarkers is the main theme of this important technological project, which seeks to develop new oncologic therapies based on personalised medicine.
 
Over four years the project will employ various multidisciplinary teams of biologists, chemists, pharmacists, and bioinformaticians and collaborate closely with participants from over twenty public research centres and universities which are leaders in cancer research. The
goal is to move to the forefront of global biomarker research, improving their competitiveness in markets worldwide.
 
The ONCOLOGICA project is an opportunity to join forces in increasing the global competitiveness of the companies involved. The sharing of know-how and technologies within the consortium, coupled with the specialisation of the public research centres, provides significant added value to the R&D and innovation activities of each consortium member. Biomarkers are the main focus of the technological efforts and challenges of the ONCOLOGICA project. The project is divided into four sections, which comprise 9 activities addressing the above-mentioned biomarker applications:

• the identification of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, which allow for the detection of different types of cancer and the prediction of their development.
• the search for predictive markers which respond to specific anti-tumour drugs, allowing for better selection of treatments for patients with solid and haematological tumours.
• the development of new drugs based on targeted therapies against biomarkers and new therapies based on the use of biomarkers.
• the development of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technological platforms, which allows for analysis of the expression levels of predictive markers in clinical use in a rapid, reliable and simple way, enabling personalisation of cancer therapies.