LifeArc
LifeArc is a British life science medical research charity.[1] It was established in 2000 as MRC Technology to translate the work of UK Medical Research Council (MRC) research scientists.[2] Today, LifeArc provides intellectual property identification, protection and commercialisation, technology development, diagnostic development, early stage drug discovery and antibody humanization services for academic, biotechnological and pharmaceutical organisations. Profits from LifeArc's activities are reinvested into further research. HistoryThe organisation was set up as a charity and a company limited by guarantee in 2000 to incorporate patenting, licensing and research functions.[3] LifeArc humanised a number of antibodies on behalf of other organisations. Four of these, Tysabri (Biogen Idec/Elan), Actemra (Hoffmann-La Roche/Chugai), Entyvio (Millenium Pharma/Takeda) and Keytruda (Merck/MSD), are licensed drugs.[4][failed verification] In 2010, LifeArc signed a deal with the drug company AstraZeneca to share chemical compounds to help identify potential treatments for serious diseases.[5][6] LifeArc is a member of a Global Drug Discovery Alliance along with the Centre for Drug Research and Development, the Scripps Research Institute, Cancer Research Technology, the Lead Discovery Centre and the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery.[7] Through its earnings from licensing agreements, LifeArc provides funding for academic research and early-stage medical research.[8] In March 2019, LifeArc joined with Cancer Research UK and Ono Pharma to progress new immunotherapy drug targets for cancer.[9] In May 2019, LifeArc announced it had sold part of its royalty rights for Keytruda to a subsidiary of Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for US$1.297 billion, making it one of the biggest UK medical charities by size of investment.[10] The charity claims that it has found a new approach for treating Alzheimer's disease in research carried out with the Universities of Leicester and Göttingen.[11] LifeArc is based in Tavistock Square in Bloomsbury. As of 2025, it intends to occupy a large Edwardian building at 105-121 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE, close to the Francis Crick Institute. The building was originally occupied by the Salvation Army and was latterly the headquarters of the Royal National Institute for the Blind. The interior has been demolished and will be rebuilt as offices and laboratories.[12] References
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