Simcere Pharmaceutical Partners with Stanford to Combat Pulmonary Fibrosis

Simcere Pharmaceutical has signed a research agreement with Stanford Medicine to develop novel therapies for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The collaboration targets a first-in-class molecule, granting the Shanghai-based company full global rights to the resulting product upon successful completion of exploratory research conducted by Stanford’s chemical biology laboratories.

The project will be led by Stanford professors Chaitan Khosla and Bianxiao Cui, both experts in chemical biology and fibrosis-related targets. Their work at the Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator seeks to address the critical lack of effective treatments for the condition, which causes progressive lung stiffening and respiratory failure. Patients with the disease face a median survival time of approximately three years post-diagnosis, with five-year survival rates ranging between 20% and 40%.

This agreement represents the second global first-in-class project between the two institutions. Zhou Gaobo, Chief Investment Officer at Simcere, noted that the partnership aligns with the company’s push into new innovation cycles. Professor Khosla emphasized that the collaboration aims to bridge the gap between academic chemical biology breakthroughs and urgent clinical requirements for highly targeted, effective patient treatments.