GlaxoSmithKline forms research alliance with Francis Crick Institute

GlaxoSmithKline has announced a new open innovation collaboration with the Francis Crick Institute, the UK's newest biomedical research facility.

The work will explore new avenues of medical research and drug discovery across a broad range of diseases, with the aim of achieving breakthroughs in the understanding of human disease.

It is the first collaboration to be established between the institution and a pharmaceutical company, with scientists from both organisations to work side-by-side in integrated teams.

The close proximity of the Francis Crick Institute's centre of biomedical research in the heart of London and GlaxoSmithKline's global research hub in Stevenage will help to facilitate the work.

Patrick Vallance, GlaxoSmithKline's president of pharmaceutical research and development, said: "We're thrilled to be the first industry partner of this dynamic organisation and believe that by working alongside one another … we'll be well-placed to make game-changing advances in our understanding of human disease."

This comes after the firm announced last month that it will be supporting the creation of an independent not-for-profit research institute, the Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, in Seattle.