GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca create inflammation research centre

GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca have allied with the University of Manchester to create a new UK-based centre for inflammatory disease research.

The Manchester Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR) is to be formally opened later this year and is designed to be a flagship project for the collaborative UK research sector.

Each partner is providing five million pounds over a three-year period to support studies into inflammation research and translational medicine, involving scientists both from the pharmaceutical industry and academia.

Staff are being recruited in line with policies set down by all three bodies, with the overall goal being to create innovative new therapies for conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dave Allen, senior vice-president of respiratory research at GlaxoSmithKline, said: "The translation of basic research discoveries into new medicines is challenging, but we believe we improve our chances of success through collaborative science."

This comes after GlaxoSmithKline allied with the Medical Research Council and several London universities earlier this year to create a new clinical imaging joint venture.