Boehringer Ingelheim agrees new bowel disease research partnerships

Boehringer Ingelheim has formed new collaborations with four major scientific partners to further its understanding of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The aim of the projects will be to identify and validate potential new therapeutic targets for IBD, as well as to isolate biomarkers that offer the potential to address the significant unmet medical needs of patients suffering from conditions such Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

New research partnerships have been formed with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Massachusetts General Hospital, Scripps Research Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine to achieve these goals.

Boehringer Ingelheim scientists will work alongside experts from these institutions to accelerate research and foster information sharing, while the company will also provide scientific and technology support and research funding.

Clive Wood, senior corporate vice-president for discovery research at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "Academia-industry collaborations are an extraordinarily effective way to advance research and we recognise the importance of joining forces with leading experts to effectively develop innovative therapies."

The firm agreed to work with Philogen on new research into acute myeloid leukaemia therapy approaches last month.