The University of South Florida Health Taneja College of Pharmacy is partnering with a Tampa-based biotech firm to help build the talent pipeline and expand research.
USF Health has partnered with Morphogenesis, a biotechnology company developing immunotherapies for cancer patients, on a two-year contract that runs the gamut. The affiliation agreement will allow for clinical and clinical research collaborations, opportunities for students to intern for Morphogenesis, and the company will co-chair USF's College of Pharmacy Industry Advisory Board. Through the position on the board, Morphogenesis officials could serve as guest speakers for USF's graduate courses.
“The collaboration between Morphogenesis and the TCOP will provide a strong scaffolding upon which both organizations can bolster their goals and missions," Kevin Sneed, dean of USF's College of Pharmacy, said in a statement. "There is a kindred spirit between us that has ingenuity, transformation, and human healing as foundations of our core values."
There are no financial terms to the agreement and it will be automatically renewed for an additional two years in the absence of a non-renewal notice, Morphogenesis officials told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
"These crucial learning opportunities can expose rising professionals to new career perspectives," said Christopher Konig, regulatory affairs manager and USF Health College of Pharmacy alumna.
This is the latest in several new developments for the College of Pharmacy, which moved to the Morsani College of Medicine in downtown Tampa after a $10 million gift in 2019. The gift was from the Taneja Family Foundation, thus renaming the college.
It's also the next innovative step with Morphogenesis, which develops gene and cell therapies to combat cancer. In February, the company announced it is expanding its cancer vaccine trial to human patients.
