AstraZeneca forms university collaboration

The company said that initial activity will commence in such areas as addiction, cognition, anxiety, depression and stress-related disorders, but is expected to include several other disease areas.

This renewable, three-year, master agreement establishes a framework for collaboration on a variety of research projects that complement the research being independently conducted by each institution. The specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“There remains a great need for quality research in areas that further our shared goals of bringing innovative medicines safely to patients who need them,” said Dr Rick Sax, AstraZeneca vice president, Global Medical Sciences. “We hope that by collaborating with a premier organization like the University of Pennsylvania our combined expertise and support will stimulate scientific and medical breakthroughs that improve our understanding of disease and allow for more rapid development of therapies to address the unmet medical needs of patients.”