MedImmune, the global biologics R&D arm of AstraZeneca, has entered a three-year collaboration with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).  The collaboration will focus on CTSI's Catalyst Awards program, which solicits applications from University scientists who wish to move their translational research beyond the bench and into product development.

This marks the first industrial partnership for CTSI's Catalyst Awards program's therapeutic track, which focuses specifically on discovery and development of patient treatment options. The collaboration will benefit both MedImmune's biologics and AstraZeneca's small molecule portfolios and will call for proposals in therapeutic areas of interest to MedImmune and AstraZeneca, including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, oncology, respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity, neuroscience and infectious disease.

MedImmune and UCSF will collaborate to move forward the most promising research projects over the next three years with the option to extend the partnership. The collaboration will foster scientific exchange and expertise between UCSF and MedImmune scientists, and support projects that translate research into treatments that improve patient outcomes. 

"UCSF's innovative translational research capabilities combined with MedImmune's industry experience in this area will help identify and nurture promising early science that can benefit MedImmune, UCSF researchers and ultimately patients," said Dr. Bing Yao, senior vice president and head of MedImmune's Respiratory, Inflammation and Autoimmunity Innovative Medicines Unit. "We look forward to partnering with leading scientists at UCSF and growing our collective expertise within the Bay Area, one of the top global bioscience hubs."

June Lee, M.D., FACCP, director of CTSI's Early Translational Research program, which manages the Catalyst Awards,said, "This collaboration marks an important first step in cultivating critical industry-academic partnerships in our therapeutics track. Beyond that, it also supports the broader mandate of UCSF and the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards to accelerate research to improve health, for which industry and companies like MedImmune are very important partners."