Syngene International, a subsidiary of Biocon Limited and Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has opened a fully dedicated research and development facility in Biocon Park, located in the Bommasandra Industrial Area, Bangalore.

The 200,000 square-foot dedicated contract research facility will help Bristol-Myers Squibb's work in discovery and early drug development. Currently, 270 researchers are working here. Construction on the facility began in March 2007, when Bristol-Myers Squibb and Biocon entered into an agreement to develop integrated drug discovery and development capabilities at Syngene.

The facility will house 360 researchers by the end of the year and could accommodate as many as 450 employees in the future. Work at the facility will span the drug discovery and development process from initial hit to lead optimization to early pharmaceutical development to clinical nomination to phase-I and phase-II clinical studies. The building of this facility signals Bristol-Myers Squibb's commitment to R&D in Asia.

"We are pleased to build upon our more-than 10-year relationship with Biocon with the completion of this dedicated R&D facility and the establishment of this integrated R&D centre in Asia," said Dr Elliott Sigal, executive vice president, chief scientific officer and president, research and development, Bristol-Myers Squibb. The opening of this facility is an integral part of our company's strategy to access top talent around the world and establish a research and development presence in Asia.

"Syngene has the multi-disciplinary skills in synthetic chemistry, process chemistry and molecular biology. The collaboration will offer a value-added capability base for Bristol-Myers Squibb," said Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, CMD, Biocon.

According to Dr Goutam Das, COO, Syngene, Bristol-Myers Squibb has been one of our earliest customers with whom we have built an enduring research partnership based on trust and reliability.

In addition to expanding its research and development capabilities in India through its relationship with Biocon, Bristol-Myers Squibb has committed to supporting the development of scientific excellence in India.

Since 2007, Bristol-Myers Squibb has established fellowships supporting doctoral and post-graduate students at four academic institutions in the areas of biology, chemistry, pharmaceutics, drug metabolism, chemical engineering, clinical pharmacology and translational medicine. The two are also exploring public-private educational partnerships with local universities.

"To support talent development in India we are committed to working with academic institutions through fellowships and partnerships to ensure the next generation of graduates has a high level of expertise in drug discovery and development sciences," said Dr Francis Cuss, senior vice president, discovery and exploratory clinical research, Bristol-Myers Squibb.