A central aim of AMP is to “harness the rich, new resources of biological knowledge and find better ways to develop greater numbers of effective therapeutics at a faster pace,” Dr. Collins says. All data and analyses generated by the project will be considered “precompetitive” and will be made freely available to the entire biomedical research community. After the initial discovery stage in which the AMP team collectively identifies the most compelling target, the “full competitive power of the pharmaceutical industry will kick in to develop the actual therapeutic molecules,” he added.
AMP partners have developed detailed and milestone-driven research plans in close collaboration through a shared, integrated, governance structure, Dr. Collins says. “We have rolled up our sleeves, left our affiliations at the door and put real skin in the game.” Discoveries about these diseases will not just benefit the pharmaceutical industry, he added. “The entire biomedical research community, along with the entire patient advocacy community, has a shared interest in compressing the timeline, reducing the cost and increasing the success rate of new targeted therapies.
“We believe the stars are aligned and the opportunities ripe for all sectors of the research enterprise to join forces to resolve the critical issue of finding better targets so that we can develop better drugs at a more rapid pace,” he says.
Kathy L. Holliman, MEd, is a medical writer based in Beverly, Mass.
