Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI), a global contract research and manufacturing organisation, announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the New York Center for Nanomedicine Research (NYCNMR) to co-market their nanotechnology services to global pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

As part of the three-year agreement, AMRI gains access to NYCNMR's nanoscale therapeutic and formulation services. NYCNMR's customers will benefit from AMRI's suite of integrated drug discovery solutions, which includes expertise in assay method development, high-throughput screening, high-content screening, hit-to-lead-medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug discovery and in vitro DMPK assays, as well as access to its proprietary ASCC small molecule and natural products collections

"We are very enthusiastic about our collaboration with NYCNMR as it represents a unique opportunity to provide drug discovery customers with cutting-edge nanotechnologies and an environment that can create preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to treat a variety of human diseases," said Rory Curtis, Ph.D., vice president, discovery biology and pharmacology, and site head of AMRI Buffalo.

"NYCNMR's expertise - specifically in the area of drug delivery and targeting systems - has the ability to enrich the industry's drug discovery efforts across biology, chemistry and pharmacology by applying cutting-edge nanotechnologies to clinical applications in order to solve complex medical problems."

Housed at the University at Buffalo's Clinical and Translational Research Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, NYCNMR is working with pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers and corporate clients on commercialisation efforts by applying nanotechnology to clinical applications.

"We are excited to bring our nanotechnology capabilities and services to AMRI's customers through this strategic collaboration," added Scottpatrick J. Sellitto, founding partner and CEO, NYCNMR.

"We believe there is much for our customers and the industry to gain from accessing the integrated capabilities that AMRI's new center in Buffalo offers for drug discovery."

"The agreement between AMRI and NYCNMR represents the continued realization of Governor Andrew Cuomo's vision for the Buffalo Medical Innovation and Commercialization Hub (BMIC) to build upon Western New York's leadership in life sciences research and enable the commercialisation of innovations developed there," said Tom O'Brien, associate vice president for Innovation Infrastructure and Resources for SUNY Polytechnic Institute, which manages the BMIC.

"We applaud AMRI and NYCNMR on their new partnership and look forward to further industry collaborations and growth at the Buffalo hub."