AstraZeneca’s MedImmune Collaborates with MD Anderson Cancer Center

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, will collaborate through MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program to develop therapies that unleash patients' immune systems to attack their cancers.

MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program seeks to reduce cancer deaths through six moon shots that target eight cancers. The moon shots are supported by several new research platforms that provide infrastructure, expertise and technology. The three-year agreement with MedImmune covers translational and clinical research.

MedImmune is conducting clinical trials using a new therapeutic paradigm that targets immune cells to improve their tumor-fighting ability, rather than targeting the tumor cell itself. Through the collaboration, MD Anderson will evaluate several of MedImmune's immunotherapy molecules in a clinical setting in order to better understand how these molecules elicit immune response in patients.

It is hoped that data collected from these studies will shed light on treatment-related changes to tumors, with the ultimate aim of identifying optimal combination therapies and developing biomarkers to guide and assess the safety and efficacy of MedImmune's immunotherapy molecules.

MD Anderson has invested $40 million in the platform, including philanthropic funds and a $10 million Established Investigator grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

Source: MD Anderson

 

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