AstraZeneca and Wallenberg Centre for Protein Research ally on new study

AstraZeneca has announced a new research collaboration with the Wallenberg Centre for Protein Research, with the aim of producing next-generation biologics.

The three-year study will focus on the secretome, the term given to encompass all the proteins that are secreted by a cell or that are exposed to the outside of the cell from within the cell membrane.

By examining this area, the collaborators hope to develop new technologies for biologics production and identify innovative targets for disease research.

AstraZeneca's Innovative Medicines biotech unit will screen the secretome library using its proprietary assays to identify new protein-based targets for compound development across a range of diseases.

The subsequent creation of new cell factories for the large-scale production of therapeutic proteins will support the deep and diversifying pipeline of MedImmune, AstraZeneca's global biologics research and development arm.

Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca's chief executive, said: "Harnessing the power of the secretome in this unprecedented way will help us to identify new biomarkers, drug targets and ultimately develop next-generation biological treatments."