Bayer’s pharmaceutical division has signed a five-year collaboration agreement to work with the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in an effort to accelerate the development of cancer treatments based on patient or tumor characteristics for which current therapies have not shown clinical efficacy.

The collaboration, which will include joint clinical research projects at the Houston-based center, will combine the German group’s knowhow in translational and clinical compounds with the translational and clinical expertise of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, the future partners said.

 With the help of Anderson, the newly reinvented pharmaceuticals and agriculture group said it will further strengthen its development activities with the goal of significantly broaden the applicability of breakthrough approaches. Joint clinical research projects will be conducted in Houston.

Bayer’s oncology research is focused on immuno-oncology, oncogenic signaling and targeted thorium conjugates. As part of its overall innovation strategy, the group said it is currently expanding discovery and development opportunities through a series of strategic agreements with leading academic centers, other pharmaceutical companies and innovative biotech organizations worldwide.

One of only 49 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Anderson is regarded as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

While Bayer said the alliance with Anderson “will bolster our ongoing and future clinical programs with the overall aim of developing meaningful options for patients battling cancer," the center said the collaboration “allows us to pursue the study of several investigative agents that may have potential for cancers that can be resistant to standard treatments."