CTSI’s Catalyst Awards program solicits applications from university scientists who wish to move their translational research beyond the bench and into product development. The collaboration marks the first industrial partnership for the Catalyst Awards program’s therapeutic track that focuses specifically on discovery and development of patient treatment options.
This collaboration, which will benefit both MedImmune’s biologics and AstraZeneca’s small molecule portfolios, will call for proposals in therapeutic areas of interest to MedImmune and AstraZeneca that include cardiovascular and metabolic disease; oncology; respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity; neuroscience and infectious disease.
Over the next three years, MedImmune and UCSF will collaborate to move forward the most promising research projects. The collaboration will promote the growth of scientific exchange and expertise between UCSF and MedImmune scientists.
In addition, the collaboration will also support projects that translate research into treatments that improve patient outcomes.
CTSI Early Translational Research program, which manages the Catalyst Awards, director Dr June Lee, noted this collaboration marks an important first step in cultivating critical industry-academic partnerships in its 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," Dr Lee added.
MedImmune and CTSI have not disclosed the financial terms of the three-year collaboration.