AstraZeneca and Broad Institute to research antibacterial agents

AstraZeneca has announced a new collaboration with the Broad Institute in Massachusetts that will aim to facilitate the development of antibacterial and antiviral drugs.

The alliance will see the organisations combine their deep expertise in bacterial genomics and biochemistry to analyse the potential of the 100,000 customised diversity-oriented synthesis compounds in the Broad Institute's chemical library.

Broad will take charge of screening and hit-to-lead chemistry, with AstraZeneca optimising, developing and commercialising potential compounds from identified, high-quality leads.

The aim of this partnership will be to address the growing threat posed by antimicrobial resistance, as only two new classes of antibiotics have been introduced to the market in the past 30 years.

Dr Manos Perros, vice-president and head of the AstraZeneca Infection Innovative Medicines Unit, said: "We believe new and collaborative approaches between the private and public sectors will help speed the discovery and development of new treatments, particularly for antibiotic-resistant infections."

Last month, the company announced the appointment of Pascal Soriot as its new chief executive officer, effective as of October 1st 2012.