The U.S. Innovation Center of Bayer HealthCare's pharmaceutical division has started its operations in San Francisco's Mission Bay life sciences hub. At the same time the company announced a master agreement for research collaborations with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
"Bayer chose San Francisco as the site for its U.S. Innovation Center because of the leading role this area’s research community plays in life science discovery," said Andreas Fibig, chairman of the board of management of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany. "The master agreement with UCSF sets the stage for a long and successful public-private partnership which builds our pipeline and brings novel medicines to patients."
Bayer is expanding its collaborative relationships with academic and life sciences firms in California and in other major scientific networks in the U.S. through a dedicated team of scientists at the U.S. Innovation Center. The "Science Hub" team is charged with identifying and facilitating collaborations in the areas of Bayer HealthCare's research focus Oncolology, Cardiology and Hematology, Women’s Healthcare, Diagnostic Imaging, and beyond.
"Master agreements like this help smooth the path for innovative research projects that translate academic research into improved patient care," said UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH. "This agreement will help researchers at Bayer and UCSF collaborate on a broad range of projects to that end."
The U.S. Innovation Center also houses scientists who drive Bayer's hematology research program focused on coagulation factors and the discovery of novel biologic drug candidates. A 65-member research team is currently working at the Innovation Center.
"Bayer's decision to establish its U.S. Innovation Center at Mission Bay is good for San Francisco and the State of California," said former San Francisco Mayor and California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom. "Attracting and retaining one of the top 10 specialty pharmaceutical and biotech firms is important to California's life sciences sector. I’m confident that we'll see exciting California discoveries reach the patient marketplace through collaborations with Bayer. As California works on its recovery, life science partnerships that begin at the research bench will lead to long-term economic stability for our region."
Bayer's U.S. Innovation Center is located in the heart of a growing biomedical community adjacent to UCSF's Mission Bay campus. Bayer occupies approximately 49,000 square feet of leased state-of-the-art lab and administrative space.
About Bayer HealthCare
The Bayer Group is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer HealthCare, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 15,988 million (2009), is one of the world’s leading, innovative companies in the healthcare and medical products industry and is based in Leverkusen, Germany. The company combines the global activities of the Animal Health, Consumer Care, Medical Care and Pharmaceuticals divisions. Bayer HealthCare's aim is to discover and manufacture products that will improve human and animal health worldwide. Bayer HealthCare has a global workforce of 53.400 employees and is represented in more than 100 countries.