Imperial partners with AstraZeneca to investigate drivers of respiratory disease

Imperial College London and AstraZeneca have announced a new research collaboration in the field of respiratory disease.

The project will see scientists from industry and academia working side-by-side to investigate basic scientific mechanisms and underlying the drivers of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 

Under the agreement, Imperial and AstraZeneca will work to a joint research plan with a focus on mechanisms related to inflammation, neuropharmacology and lung irritancy.

The work will be co-led by Dr Mark Birrell, Senior Science Director, AstraZeneca who is a renowned expert in pre-clinical respiratory pharmacology, and Professor Teresa Tetley at Imperial College London.

AstraZeneca will fund research roles at Imperial within the respiratory pharmacology group and will deploy AstraZeneca scientists to Imperial. The initial collaboration will run for three years beginning in January 2018, with the potential to be extended.

Professor Alice Gast, President of Imperial College London, said: “This latest collaboration with AstraZeneca is another great opportunity to combine the expertise of a leading university and an outstanding corporation, which could have real benefits for people living with respiratory health conditions.”

Mene Pangalos, Executive Vice President, IMED Biotech Unit and Business Development, AstraZeneca, commented: “Imperial College London is a recognised world leader in respiratory science and we are delighted to enter into this collaboration with them.

“Open research environments across industry and academia are of mutual benefit and the collaboration exemplifies how our groups can push the boundaries of science. I have no doubt this will be a highly productive collaboration and help us turn great science into innovative medicines for respiratory patients.”

Professor Maria Belvisi, Vice President and Head of Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity at AstraZeneca and Professor of Respiratory Pharmacology at Imperial College London, added: “I am proud to represent both AstraZeneca and Imperial College London.

"By building on the strengths of both organisations with fully integrated, dedicated teams, we aim to accelerate drug discovery and development from ground breaking research into new medicines to help address unmet treatment needs in respiratory disease.”

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This article is based on materials provided by AstraZeneca.