NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – British medical research charity MRC Technology announced today that it has partnered with Asthma UK, the British Lung Foundation, and AstraZeneca to study the link between epigenetics and respiratory disease, with the goal of discovering new treatments for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and other lung disorders.
According to MRC Technology, the alliance combines the collaborators' respective expertise in drug discovery and clinical development, as well as their access to research funding, research networks, and patient groups. Further terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
"Our collaboration improves the likelihood that promising research will be translated into potential new patient treatments," Justin Bryans, director of drug discovery at MRC Technology, said in a statement. "The funding and support from Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation will enable us to identify innovative science to progress in our own laboratories, while AstraZeneca's expertise is invaluable to get therapies into the clinic."
MRC Technology said that the collaboration is currently seeking researchers interested in participating. Details can be found here.