AstraZeneca and Montreal Heart Institute to research heart disease and diabetes

AstraZeneca has announced a new collaboration with the Montreal Heart Institute that will examine genes associated with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, including complications and treatment outcomes.

Under the collaboration, the Quebec-based institute will genotype up to 80,000 DNA samples from AstraZeneca's biobank, including both tissue and blood samples collected over a period of 12 years.

It represents one of the largest screening initiatives of its type to date and will drive understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying these conditions and their complications.

The partners hope to then apply their findings to the development of new medicines tailored to treat subsets of patients with particular genetic profiles.

Ruth March, vice-president of personalised healthcare and biomarkers at AstraZeneca, said: "We are taking personalised healthcare beyond its great heritage in oncology to bring targeted medicines to patients with cardiovascular disease and diabetes using biomarkers and diagnostic tests."

This comes after the company and its biologics-focused subsidiary MedImmune announced a new collaboration with Celgene in the field of immuno-oncology last month.