LEO Pharma expands partnering presence with LEO Science & Tech Hub in Boston

LEO Pharma expands partnering presence with LEO Science & Tech Hub in Boston 

The Hub will join forces with life science community to advance treatment of skin diseases

BALLERUP, Denmark, 30 September 2016 - LEO Pharma, a global healthcare company dedicated to helping people achieve healthy skin, today announced the official inauguration of the LEO Science & Tech Hub in Boston by Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. The event, which also includes participation from the Danish Minister for Business and Growth Troels Lund Poulsen, brings to-gether members of the Boston life science community to explore opportunities for partnership and inno-vation. 
The Hub aims to catalyze early-stage collaborations in science and technology in order to advance the treatment of skin diseases and is the first of its kind to focus on dermatology in the Greater Boston area, the world's leading life science cluster. 

"With the establishment of the LEO Science & Tech Hub at the epicenter of this world-leading biotech supercluster, LEO Pharma is poised to foster novel collaborations that can lead to significant advances in science," says Kim Kjoeller, Executive Vice President, Global Research & Development, LEO Phar-ma. "By creating alliances with industry and academia here in the region, we hope to change the treat-ment paradigm in dermatology and improve the quality of life of people with skin diseases."

The LEO Science & Tech Hub will build early-stage collaborations with academic centers, entrepreneurs and companies in the United States - and support collaborators in validating novel targets in skin dis-eases and advancing technology towards commercialization. The Hub team has access to full deal-making capabilities and can provide support in terms of seed investments and co-development, including access to LEO Pharma's global network of dermatology expertise. Collaborators can access LEO Phar-ma's preclinical and clinical expertise as well as the digital healthcare expertise of LEO Innovation Lab.

"The LEO Science & Tech Hub wants to join forces with life science innovators in the US to change the treatment paradigm for people with skin diseases and take the first steps towards precision medicine in dermatology," says Michael Sierra, Vice President, LEO Science & Tech Hub. "By offering our collabora-tors access to funding and a unique global network of dermatology expertise, we want to act as cata-lysts for innovation and help bring new science and technology to the next stage."

The Hub's team of science experts will engage with partners in three areas: cognitive computer learning, imaging, and biomarkers. For example, the Hub will explore the use of smart phones to help patients monitor their disease and track treatment progress. The Hub will also explore advanced imaging technol-ogies as a valid and reliable alternative to skin biopsies. The overall aim is to enable patients and doc-tors to monitor, diagnose, and treat skin diseases in a more effective and less invasive way.

The LEO Science & Tech Hub is located in the heart of the Kendall Square innovation district at the CIC in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

"We are excited for LEO Pharma to join Massachusetts' thriving life sciences ecosystem, bringing the first center focused exclusively on dermatology to the Commonwealth," said Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts. "This new facility will advance research and the development of new treatments in the field of dermatology, while opening up new opportunities for collaboration between the life sciences communities in Massachusetts and Denmark."

"We congratulate LEO Pharma on the opening of the new LEO Science & Tech Hub in Kendall Square," said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio. "We know that LEO Pharma's collaborative spirit will cultivate new partnerships in the Hub that will advance precision medicine in dermatology and ulti-mately speed the development of innovative treatments for patients around the world." 

"LEO Pharma's new dermatology-focused LEO Science & Tech Hub is a welcome addition to the many life sciences centers of excellence that are operating and innovating in and around Boston and Cam-bridge," said Travis McCready, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. "Skin dis-eases are more common than one might expect - every year one in four Americans consult their primary care physician regarding a skin concern. We look forward to collaborating with LEO Pharma as they put down roots and form partnerships within the world's leading ecosystem for life sciences innovation and growth."