How we are helping to increase the flow and availability of data for drug discovery.
Predict who is most at risk from falling ill…
… and how best to treat them.
The significant volume of health data it generates aids decision making, informs research, and can be used to develop new treatments.
It can also predict who is most at risk from falling ill – and how best to treat them.
People have been providing valuable health data for many years, for example, through wearable devices, online searches, and electronic health records.
Visit websiteBut although harnessing the power of health data has significant benefits, including driving forward drug discovery innovations, it is not always readily available.
Why? Because there are still challenges around collecting, accessing and using data – including pivotal information needed for target selection, patient stratification and diagnosis.
“Well-meaning regulation is making data inaccessible in a global market for ideas.”
Professor Chris Molloy
Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Discovery Catapult
At Medicines Discovery Catapult, we’re collaborating on ways to overcome these challenges.
Medicines Discovery Catapult collaborated with the UK BioIndustry Association and Wellcome Sanger Institute on the 2022 Genomics Nation report, which highlights the challenge of the skills shortage as a priority area to be addressed.
Although stringent security measures are required by law to protect health data, some people are reluctant to share personal information. Privacy concerns take precedence over the positive benefits of sharing their data to help develop medicines and cure diseases.
An abundance of data is generated every day in the thriving life science sector. But accessing it is a real sticking point. Research by Medicines Discovery Catapult and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) found that, when asked about their health data requirements, 78% of representatives from the pharma and life sciences industry wanted support to identify and assess the quality of data sets.
Read reportThe more sophisticated the technologies and techniques for generating and evaluating health data become, the more skilled informaticians are needed to extract the value it holds. According to the 2022 Genomics Nation report, 82% of genomics SMEs surveyed said finding staff with the right skills was their main skills/talent issue. 70% of respondents cited computer science, data science and machines learning skills as the most difficult to recruit.
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“Without good-quality data, you make poor-quality decisions.”
Professor Chris Molloy
Chief Executive Officer, Medicines Discovery Catapult
At Medicines Discovery Catapult, our aim is to encourage the steady flow of high-quality, consented health data to innovative drug discovery companies.
It is paramount that health data gets into the hands of those developing new therapeutics, along with the capabilities, technologies, and skills required to generate and evaluate it at pace.
Medicines Discovery Catapult’s extensive informatics capabilities and industry expertise mean we can support innovators directly with advanced technology and informatics tools.
This enables researchers to make the data-driven decisions needed to accelerate medicines and get treatments to patients faster.
Professor Chris Molloy, CEO of Medicines Discovery Catapult, was invited to speak at the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee’s Inquiry into the use of health data.
He was clear that while privacy is important, so too is increasing the availability of, and access to, data that has the potential to save lives. Medicines Discovery Catapult’s expertise in this field has also been utilised in a range of sector initiatives.
Visit websiteMDC’s report, released in collaboration with ABPI, explores the use of health data and the barriers faced by the UK life sciences industry. The report highlighted key issues and the steps being taken by stakeholders to deliver a clear and credible offer for the R&D community. We are also driving change in the sector through a number of high-profile initiatives.
Visit websiteMedicines Discovery Catapult collaborated with the UK Bioindustry Association (BIA) and the Wellcome Sanger Institute on the 2022 Genomics Nation report. The report hails the sector’s strengths in data-driven drug discovery and highlights skills shortage as a priority area that must be addressed.
Visit websiteLeading the conversation around data-driven discovery, we also engaged key parliamentarians via Politics Home, a publication for the most influential people in UK politics.
The article highlighted the opportunities and challenges of using health data in drug discovery and presented thought-provoking solutions to key government stakeholders – including the concept of a sovereign health fund.
Visit websiteThe quantity of data generated by drug discovery is growing exponentially. Finding ways to harness that data will transform how we identify and treat illnesses. Medicines Discovery Catapult is engaged in conversations with industry, medical charities, government, and the NHS to find ways to overcome the health data challenges that are affecting the rate of innovation in medicines discovery.
By connecting the life sciences ecosystem and supporting innovators with access to health data, Medicines Discovery Catapult can fuel the data engine of innovation in healthcare.
Accelerating drug discovery and leading to improved outcomes for patients.
“The use of consented health data is a vital but achingly distant resource that no country has yet made effectively available to drug discovery innovators. Medicines Discovery Catapult is committed to working with our partners across the drug discovery sector to overcome the barriers in place and help release the steady flow of data that is so desperately needed. Together, we will ensure that the UK remains at the cutting edge of discoveries and get treatments to patients faster.”
Professor Chris Molloy,CEO, Medicines Discovery Catapult
