The new company is a public-private partnership that will be called Cyclofluidic, and the drugmakers hopes a “breakthrough technology” will make it easier to for researchers to test a greater range of potential new medicines in a shorter time. And the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board is providing some of the funding for the venture, which will be located in England.

The aim of Cyclofluidic is to “develop technologies that automate and integrate processes known as flow chemistry and flow biology to help pharmaceutical companies shorten timelines within the drug development process,” according to a statement just issued.

“Cyclofluidic’s entry into the rapidly evolving microfluidic technology area has the potential to radically transform the medicinal chemistry and biology interface,” Neil Weir, UCB’s senior vp of research, says in a statement. “It’s an exciting opportunity for UCB and Pfizer to collaborate and offers real potential for improved productivity, underlining our commitment to innovation for patients.”

Cyclofluidic will develop a microfluidic closed loop lead optimisation platform which will enable researchers to access state of the art expertise in flow chemistry, flow screening and microfluidic engineering. This will be addressed through extensive collaboration with key academics and component manufacturers