AstraZeneca And U Of Manchester Link In Drug Delivery Technologies
AstraZeneca and the University of Manchester announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership to develop cutting-edge drug delivery technologies.
The five-year collaboration will also build a new manufacturing laboratory to be called the North West Centre for Advanced Drug Delivery. The lab will be located in Manchester Pharmacy School and run under the joint leadership of the University’s Professor Nicola Tirelli and AstraZeneca's Dr. Marcel de Matas. The North West Centre will aim to advance basic understanding of drug delivery systems including aspects of biology and physiology. These new delivery systems will center on crucial therapeutic areas for AstraZeneca, such as cancer.
The pharmaceutical giant said its long term goal in entering into collaboration with the University is to deliver a portfolio of drug delivery technologies for its drugs and products. Dr Paul Stott, VP of Product Development at AstraZeneca, said, “We are excited to continue collaborating with the University of Manchester to establish this new Centre for exploring drug delivery programs. The close proximity between our two facilities and the great pool of talent in both organizations provides considerable potential for the creation of groundbreaking innovations in advanced drug delivery, which we hope will make a meaningful difference to the health of patients suffering from serious diseases.”
AstraZeneca scientists will be completely engaged in research projects and will also teach fundamentals of academic courses in Manchester. On the other hand, the University’s researchers will be given the chance to apply their scientific ideas in AstraZeneca’s drug development programs.
“This collaboration will provide students with a first-hand view of what it means to work in the pharmaceutical industry and will provide potential opportunities for our talent to be considered for any suitable roles that might be available at AstraZeneca at a time when competition for pharmacy jobs is increasing,” said Dr. Victoria Silkstone, placements lead from the Manchester Pharmacy School.
Earlier this month, AstraZeneca announced that it is expanding its partnership with the University of Cambridge with the launch of four new collaborations through its global biologics R&D arm, MedImmune.