AstraZeneca and Harvard team up for diabetes research
pharmafile | March 25, 2015 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | AZ, AstraZeneca, Havard, cardiovascular, diabetes, metabolic
AstraZeneca is to work with Harvard University’s department of stem cell and regenerative biology to develop new treatments in diabetes.
The five-year deal will investigate a technique that creates human beta cells from stem cells, and aims to better understand how the function of these decline in the disease.
Human beta cells for research are extremely limited in number and availability, but professors at the institute have developed a technique which allows limitless quantities of beta cells to be produced from human induced pluripotent stem cells – generated directly from adult cells.
Marcus Schindler, who is a head of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at AstraZeneca, comments: “We are excited about the potential of this latest collaboration with Harvard University.
“Professor Melton’s group has made an extraordinary breakthrough in the differentiation of human stem cells into human beta cells and our scientists are extremely excited to be working alongside his team.”
Schindler adds: “Harnessing this new technology has the potential to transform the research and development of new treatments for patients with diabetes.”
The UK-based pharma firm will provide funding for a team of investigators at the US University as well as establishing an in-house team in Sweden, dedicated to the collaboration.
Scientists will collectively work together to understand the biology behind the loss of human beta cell function and mass in diabetes. The goal is to discover potential new medicines that could restore beta cell activity in diabetic patients.
Isaac Kohlberg, who is head of the Office of Technology Development at Harvard University, concludes: “AstraZeneca’s commitment to establish and fund this collaboration will help advance the development of new medicines that may ameliorate the need for diabetics to inject insulin.
“It will help prevent the numerous, potentially fatal complications of diabetes. This collaboration is an ideal example of how academia and industry should work together to serve the public interest and make a difference to the lives of patients.”
Tom Robinson
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