Discussion

Since 2010, GlaxoSmithKline Tres Cantos Medicines Development Campus (TC-MDC) has adopted an open innovation strategy that fosters collaboration and transfer of knowledge with academia and biotech, with the final aim to deliver new effective medicines for DDW (malaria, tuberculosis and kinetoplastid diseases). As part of this approach, the Tres Cantos Open Lab (www.openlabfoundation.org) at TC-MDC provides visiting scientists funding and access to GSK facilities, compound collections and drug discovery expertise, in an attempt to exploit a novel model of collaboration for DDW medicine discovery and development. The Open Lab-funded partnerships focus on development of novel drug discovery tools, exploration of new molecular targets and phenotypic assays in high throughput screening programs and optimization of novel lead molecules. Part of these successful collaborations will be highlighted in this communication. With the aim to fill the portfolio for these neglected diseases and guarantee a sustainable pipeline, the Open Lab program is currently on the lookout for drug discovery opportunities with the potential to dramatically affect our capacity to discover novel promising drug candidates