Almirall S.A. (BME: ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health, has joined BIOMAP (Biomarkers in Atopic Dermatitis and Psoriasis), the first dermatology project of the European Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), to advance the field of the two most common inflammatory skin conditions and improve the lives of patients affected by them. The company will provide biosignatures operating in the different stages of atopic dermatitis patients (skin immune cell composition, skin transcriptome, and systemic biomarkers) and coordinate bioanalysis of BIOMAP samples.
Almirall will also participate in the project by contributing its scientific, dermatological, and data analysis expertise to help BIOMAP examine the underlying causes and mechanisms of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. The public-private consortium aims to shed new light on the underlying causes of both diseases, as well as the genetic and environmental factors that influence how a patient’s disease will progress and how well they will respond to a given treatment.
The IMI project will study data and samples from 50,000 patients, alongside healthy individuals, and perform advanced molecular investigations at the single cell level and in the tissue context with the aim to identify biomarkers for variations in disease outcome. Ultimately, BIOMAP wants to identify new sub-types of the diseases that will allow clinicians and patients to make better, more personalised decisions on treatments.
Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are serious skin diseases that affect over 300 million people globally. By addressing key unmet needs in treating them, the partnership has the objective to have a broad impact on disease understanding, patient care and future therapies. Almirall places its focus on Medical Dermatology and atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are two of its core skin disease areas. The company’s R&D efforts are geared towards providing new options for underserved patients who are struggling with symptoms that affect their wellbeing and quality of life.
“Almirall feels a deep sense of responsibility as a leading company in Medical Dermatology. We strongly believe that we have the opportunity to use our skills and expertise to tangibly improve the daily life of our patients”, states Thomas Huber, PhD, Research Director at Almirall. “Joining the BIOMAP project will allow us to work together to deepen our understanding of key inflammatory diseases and reinforce our commitment to addressing unmet needs and treating them”, he adds.
The BIOMAP project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No. 821511. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA.
For more information, please visit almirall.com
