CELGENE MANAGEMENT SARL

Their core work

Celgene (now part of Bristol Myers Squibb) is a major pharmaceutical company contributing clinical expertise, real-world patient data, and drug development capabilities to large-scale European health research consortia. Their H2020 involvement centers on hematological cancers (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma), health data standardization, and advanced therapies including CAR-T cell immunotherapy. They bring industry-grade pharmaceutical knowledge to public-private partnerships focused on translating research into better patient outcomes. Their participation spans from big data analytics for blood cancers to anti-parasitic drug development platforms.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Celgene's early H2020 engagement (2017–2019) focused squarely on hematological malignancies and building large-scale data infrastructure — real-world patient data platforms, FAIR data principles, and health data standardization through HARMONY, DO-IT, and EHDEN. From 2019 onward, their portfolio diversified significantly: they entered neglected tropical disease drug development (HELP) and advanced cell and gene therapy (T2EVOLVE), while deepening their hematology work with HARMONY PLUS which added molecular genetics and digital health outcomes. This evolution reflects a pharma company expanding from its oncology core into adjacent therapeutic areas and increasingly sophisticated data-driven approaches.

Moving from data infrastructure and observational studies toward active drug development and cell therapy manufacturing — suggesting growing interest in translational pipeline projects.

How they like to work

Celgene operates exclusively as a participant in large public-private consortia, never as coordinator — typical for a major pharma company contributing industry expertise and data to collaborative research. With 120 unique partners across 22 countries in just 6 projects, they work in very large consortia (averaging 20+ partners per project), predominantly through IMI-style frameworks. This makes them a reliable, well-networked industry partner who brings pharmaceutical credibility and real-world clinical data without seeking to lead the administrative side.

Extensive European network spanning 120 unique partners across 22 countries, built through large IMI and RIA consortia. Their reach is pan-European with connections across academic medical centers, data networks, biotech companies, and regulatory bodies.

What sets them apart

As a global pharmaceutical company participating from Switzerland, Celgene brings something most academic partners cannot: real-world clinical trial data, GMP manufacturing knowledge, and commercial drug development experience. Their dual expertise in health data analytics (OMOP, FAIR, OHDSI) and therapeutic development (oncology, cell therapy, anti-parasitic drugs) makes them a bridge between data science and clinical practice. For consortium builders, they offer industry validation and access to proprietary datasets that strengthen any health research proposal.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HARMONY
  One of the largest hematology big data initiatives in Europe, building a platform across all major blood cancer types with real-world patient data from multiple countries.
• T2EVOLVE
  Addresses a critical bottleneck in CAR-T cell therapy access — spans the full chain from preclinical models to GMP manufacturing and patient involvement frameworks.
• HELP
  Unusual for a hematology-focused pharma company — demonstrates commitment to neglected tropical diseases through a pan-nematode drug development platform targeting Phase 1 trials.