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Our commitment

Our research efforts in Tres Cantos are currently focussed on malaria, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis infections. These affect and threaten the lives of billions of people worldwide and new treatments are needed.

Most of the therapies that we have relied on to fight malaria and tuberculosis infections have been available for many years, and the infectious organisms are learning how to resist these treatments.

We know that we can be more proactive in tackling the diseases that are affecting so many people in the developing world. In 2009, our CEO Andrew Witty announced that, as part of our commitment to strengthen our contract with society, we would like GSK to act as a catalyst for change.  This role was given further definition by his speech in 2010 outlining our strategy to encourage “open innovation” in the arena of neglected tropical diseases.

In May 2010 scientists from the Tres Cantos centre published information on over 13,500 promising potential hits to stimulate discovery efforts to develop new medicines to treat malaria.  This publication aims to encourage further research by the scientific community, bringing more minds to bear on this challenging disease.  The chemical structures and associated assay data of these compounds are now stored on leading public scientific websites.
There are more than 100 scientists working at the centre, and many of these posts are partly funded by our partners:

• Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)
• Global Alliance for Tuberculosis Drug Development (TB Alliance)
• Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi)

To support visiting scientists and their research projects, we set up a not-for-profit group, Tres Cantos Open Lab Foundation, with an initial investment of £5 million. Through the Open Laboratory initiative, scientists can collaborate on research into fighting diseases and direct their activities towards therapeutic intervention. Research partners from academia, charities, governments and foundations will gain access to our facilities and drug discovery expertise, and we will expand our capabilities in hit identification, lead optimisation and early clinical development. Everyone involved will be dedicated to finding new small molecules for tackling diseases of the developing world.

In June 2011, the first external researchers took up ‘open lab’ placements, eight scientists, from six organisations, from four countries, including the United States and South Africa. They will be working on their own projects in association with GSK scientists at the Tres Cantos research campus.

Further help
Our commitment goes beyond research. We have made available patents for relevant small molecule compounds for neglected tropical diseases, so that information can be shared for the sole benefit of countries that are least developed. More information about this can be found on our knowledge pool page.
We are also committed to substantially reducing prices for patented medicines in those least well off countries and, where needed, to becoming a partner in delivering healthcare solutions, not just supplying medicines.