Biogen Idec launches new ALS research consortium

Biogen Idec is collaborating with a number of academic centres to launch a research consortium dedicated to creating new therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The pharmaceutical company will be allying with a number of leading US institutions – including Columbia, Harvard, Rockefeller and Yale – on a series of three-year projects to identify new approaches to treating the disease, leveraging a range of scientific techniques.

By coordinating research and sharing results across a number of different disciplines, it is hoped that understanding of the mechanism of this disease can be increased, thus paving the way for the development of innovative drugs.

Biogen Idec will coordinate the project, which will see scientists meeting on a regular basis to provide updates and share information and insights, allowing members to apply the innovation of others to their own work in near real time.

Dr Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas, senior vice-president and chief scientific officer for Biogen Idec, said: "We are hopeful that the assembly of this extraordinary group will allow unprecedented insights and define a new level of synergy between academic research and Biogen Idec.”

Earlier this week, the company announced a new manufacturing alliance with Eisai, which will be based around their Research Triangle Park-based facilities.