AstraZeneca has partnered with Taiwan’s National Research Program for Biopharmaceuticals (NRPB) in order to support academic research proposals using 'open innovation' as a catalyst for accelerating drug discovery.
The project will give NRPB's physicians and scientists access to AstraZeneca's range of small molecule compounds and biologics.
The deal includes proposals submitted from academic institutes in Taiwan, which will be funded by the NRPB, who will then explore new therapeutic uses for specific AstraZeneca compounds.
Both the parties have not disclosed the financial details of the deal, where the high interest areas include cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases.
NPRB director Michael Lai said the project is another major step in the new era of medical discovery via open innovation and public-private collaboration.
"NRPB is delighted to be partnering with AstraZeneca in this exciting approach towards the development of new treatments for patients and the advancement of medical science in Taiwan," Lai said.
AstraZeneca vice president and head of Emerging Innovations, Science Partnerships and Alliances Don Frail said, "By giving best-in-class academic research institutions access to some of our valuable, high-quality compounds, we are opening doors to unexplored areas of pre-clinical and clinical research to help find the next generation of medical breakthroughs."
