The Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation (CTTV), the product of a GSK public and private partnership, has formally appointed Dr Jeffrey Barrett as the founding director.
The CTTV, produced from a partnership between GSK, the European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, launched a year ago and uses genome-scale experiments and analysis to look at therapeutic targets and research into treatments.
Treatments areas focused on by the partnership include cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and respiratory disease, with a commitment to share its data openly with the scientific community.
Barrett has been involved in the CTTV since its creation in 2014 and will start in his new role as director from May 1.
Commenting on the CTTV, Barrett said: “We are applying methods and technologies available on the Wellcome Genome Campus to help pharmaceutical researchers focus their detailed studies of biological mechanisms and improve their methods for designing effective medicines.
“The CTTV blends the pharmaceutical industry’s sense of enterprise and motion, an academic style that gives questions the time and patience they need, and public data services to integrate many layers of knowledge.”
Barrett is currently group leader at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, where his research group analyses genomic variation in thousands of individuals to identify genetic risk factors for disease.
Dr Patrick Vallance, president of pharmaceuticals R&D at GSK, added: “Jeff brings to this key role scientific vision and profound expertise in human genetics and bioinformatics.
“His scientific skills, vision and leadership are what we need to continue to advance the work we do within the centre.”