AstraZeneca and Harvard Stem Cell Institute announce diabetes alliance

AstraZeneca has announced a five-year diabetes-focused research collaboration with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Through this project, the partners aim to adapt a technique for creating human beta cells from stem cells to screen AstraZeneca's compound library in the hope of identifying new treatments for diabetes.

Additionally, the work aims will broaden understanding of how the function of beta cells declines in diabetes, with research findings to be made available to the broader scientific community through peer-reviewed publications.

It will build on the work of Harvard's Professor Doug Melton, who has developed a technique which allows limitless quantities of beta cells to be produced from human induced pluripotent stem cells generated directly from adult cells.

Marcus Schindler, head of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases for AstraZeneca's innovative medicines and early development division, said: "Professor Melton's group has made an extraordinary breakthrough in the differentiation of human stem cells into human beta cells and our scientists are extremely excited to be working alongside his team."

AstraZeneca has announced a number of new collaborations in the last few months, partnering with Daiichi Sankyo last week to commercialise Movantik in the US.