Sanofi joins forces with Joslin Diabetes Center
pharmafile | June 21, 2012 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |
Sanofi and the Joslin Diabetes Center have created a new partnership to develop diabetes medicines.
The collaboration will focus on four key areas within diabetes and related metabolic disorders.
These include identifying potential new biologics or small drug candidates for the treatment of late complications of diabetes and new insulin analogs with more targeted efficacy.
Their research will also address the challenges of insulin resistance and personalised medicine, with the overall aim of improving the lives of people living with diabetes.
Under the terms of the agreement, Sanofi has options to commercialise the results of the research. Both parties will have access to intellectual property for internal research use – financial details of the collaboration were not disclosed.
The collaboration was unveiled at this week’s 2012 Bio International Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr Elias Zerhouni, president of global R&D at Sanofi, said: “This collaboration brings together two important forces in diabetes therapy – Sanofi Diabetes and Joslin Diabetes Center – which have the potential to define new pathways towards better understanding the nature of this disease and developing new treatments.”
C. Ronald Kahn, chief academic officer of Joslin Diabetes Center, who will head the alliance team, said: “This opportunity brings together experts from the pharmaceutical industry with our team of scientists and clinicians, who are devoted to research and clinical care for diabetes and related metabolic disorders.
“The result should be a very exciting collaboration with great potential for innovative research that will participate to advance diabetes treatment and patient care.”
The Joslin Center is a teaching and research affiliate of the Harvard Medical School, and is split into three major divisions.
The first, Joslin Research, is a team of more than 300 people undertaking the largest research programme, which is aimed at preventing and curing type I and type II diabetes.
The second is the Joslin Clinic, the world’s first diabetes care facility, which cares for 23,000 adult and paediatric patients a year.
And finally Joslin Strategic Initiatives, which develops and markets innovative programmes, products and services that expand the availability of Joslin knowledge and expertise to patients and clinicians around the globe to improve the quality of diabetes care.
Ben Adams
