Collaboration Between MedImmune and Joslin Diabetes Center Announced

A three-year research partnership between MedImmune and Joslin Diabetes Center was recently announced, which is designed to advance new medicines to treat obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

Several crucial fields of focus have been chosen as initial projects to identify and select new drug candidates, such as protecting and regenerating insulin-producing beta cells, replicating the positive effects of bariatric surgery pharmacologically and increasing the caloric utilization of fat deposits.

Cristina Rondinone, who is the head and vice president of MedImmune’s cardiovascular and metabolic disease innovative medicines unit, noted in a press release: “Cardiovascular and metabolic disease is a main therapy area for MedImmune, and we are pleased to enter this new research partnership with Joslin Diabetes Center to identify and translate the most promising emerging science into novel drug development projects with the potential to help patients suffering with diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases. Joslin Diabetes Center is world renowned for metabolic disease research and will be an important partner for MedImmune and AstraZeneca as we continue our commitment to improve diabetes management and care through the development of innovative medicines.”

MedImmune will be providing funding to Joslin to support adding expertise in drug development and other capabilities through the combination of Joslin’s clinical care infrastructure and early metabolic disease research projects. Licensed commercial and development rights to projects resulting from the collaboration will be given to MedImmune as an option as well.

“This partnership combines the discovery research and clinical care expertise at Joslin with MedImmune’s great development capabilities to hopefully move these projects from important new concepts to treatments that could benefit the patients we treat in our clinic and the millions of others like them across the globe suffering from metabolic diseases,” said Ronald Kahn, Joslin Diabetes Center’s chief academic officer, in the press release.

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