Updated Apr 24, 2020
Jennifer Dent
Send MessageThe WIPO Re:Search consortium was founded in 2011 by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with BVGH and several leading pharmaceutical companies. The aim of the Consortium is to accelerate the development of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), malaria, and tuberculosis by connecting private industry’s assets and resources...
At its launch, 31 for-profit, nonprofit, academic, and government research organizations belonged to the WIPO Re:Search Consortium. Membership has grown to include 105 Members from 29 countries and six continents. One hundred research collaborations have been established through WIPO Re:Search to date. These collaborations are focused on basic research and drug, vaccine, and diagnostic development for 13 neglected infectious diseases. Seventeen of these collaborations have advanced to the next stage of product development, including ten that are still ongoing.
There are currently 105 for-profit, nonprofit, academic, and government organizations that belong to the WIPO Re:Search consortium: Aberystwyth University Africa Fighting Malaria African Inst. of Biomedical Science and Technology (AiBST) Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Armauer Hansen Research Institute (AHRI) Assoc. of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Bibliotheca Alexandrina Biomedical Research Institute - Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) California Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University Center for Infectious Disease Research Center for World Health & Medicine Central University of Quito-Ecuador Centre Pasteur du Cameroun Cheikh Anta Diop University Council on Health Research and Development (COHRED) Developing World Health Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) Eisai Emory University Eskitis Institute at Griffiths University European Commission FIND Diagnostics Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) GALVmed GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences Icahn School of Medicine Indian Council for Medical Research Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) Institut Pasteur Institut Pasteur de Tunis Institut Pasteur Korea International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI) International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) International Hospital Federation (IHF) International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Johnson & Johnson Kenya Agricultural & Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR) Licensing Executive Society International (LESI) Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine Mahidol University Malaria Consortium Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) McGill University McMaster University Medical Research Council—South Africa Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany MSD (trade name of Merck & Co., Inc., New Jersey, USA) Murdoch Childrens Research Institute – P, U National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) National Institute of Immunology (India) National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, China CDC National University of Singapore (NUS) Nigerian Institute of Medical Research Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research Northeastern University Novartis Operation ASHA PATH Pfizer Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors (PIIPA) Research Institute for Tropical Medicine Sabin Institute Salvensis Sanofi Stanford University Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute Takeda Tech Transfer Summit Ltd. (TTS) Theodor Bilharz Research Institute Tulane University U.S. National Institutes of Health U.S. Patent and Trademark Office University of Bamako University of Bamenda University of British Columbia University of Buea University of Calgary University of California, Berkeley University of California, San Diego University of California, San Francisco University of Dundee University of Edinburgh University of Ghana University of Ibadan, Nigeria University of Kansas University of Lagos University of Mauritius University of New South Wales University of South Florida University of Vermont University of Washington University of Yaoundé I Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Washington University in St. Louis
Since the Consortium was launched, BVGH has established 100 collaborations. Fifty-nine of the 82 User and/or Provider Member organizations have participated in a collaboration. Seventeen of the collaborations have advanced to the next stage of development, including ten that are still ongoing. The results of these collaborations have been presented by Members at scientific conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Examples of these publications include: 1.“Structure-Bioactivity Relationship for Benzimidazole Thiophene Inhibitors of Polo-Like Kinase 1 (PLK1), a Potential Drug Target in Schistosoma mansoni”, PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis., 2016. 2.“Evaluation of Non-Instrumented Nucleic Acid Ampli¬cation by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Ampli¬cation (NINA-LAMP) for the Diagnosis of Malaria in Northwest Ethiopia”, Malaria Journal, 2015. 3.“Molecular Testing for Plasmodium falciparum using Serum or Plasma and Comparison with Microscopy and Rapid Diagnostic Testing in Febrile Nigerian Patients”, J. Clin. Microbiol., 2015. 4.“Selamectin is the Avermectin with the Best Potential for Buruli Ulcer Treatment”, PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis., 2015.
Focus Areas:
Health, Infectious & Vector Diseases and Public-Private Partnerships
During its initial years post-launch, the Consortium focused on expanding the number of Member organizations and establishing a wide variety of research collaborations. WIPO Re:Search will continue to recruit new Member organizations and establish new collaborations. As the organization responsible for these activities, BVGH will take a more targeted, strategic approach to recruiting and partnering. This strategy will include reviewing the current product development pipelines for the neglected tropical diseases, malaria, and tuberculosis; identifying gaps in these pipelines; and establishing research collaborations specifically focused to address these gaps. In the event that none of the current WIPO Re:Search Member organizations have the skills, assets, or capabilities to perform the needed research projects, BVGH will strategically recruit new Member organizations that are able to fulfill these needs. Ten biopharmaceutical companies are Provider Members of WIPO Re:Search. As the number of User Members expands, the need for more company Provider Members with compound libraries, data, and product development expertise grows. BVGH will continue to recruit additional biopharmaceutical and diagnostic companies to participate in WIPO Re:Search and contribute their assets to Members’ neglected infectious disease research and development activities.
BVGH and WIPO are reviewing potential opportunities to leverage the WIPO Re:Search consortium and its Members’ capabilities. These potential opportunities include establishing an open-access research results database where data – both positive and negative – obtained through a WIPO Re:Search collaboration can be deposited; coordinating training/capacity-building opportunities for low- and middle-income country (LMIC) scientists at WIPO Re:Search Member companies and academic institutes; and creating a platform through which small grants can be applied for by and awarded to organizations participating in WIPO Re:Search collaborations.