AstraZeneca is adding the secretome to its sights in its search for new drugs, Reuters reports. The secretome represents about a third of all human proteins, the ones that are secreted by cells, and has only begun to be unraveled.
Reuters adds that AstraZeneca is trying to get into the space from the get-go. The drug company has entered into a three-year collaboration with the new Wallenberg Center for Protein Research in Sweden. The Wallenberg family is the primary funder of that center, and it also owns Investor, which is the third largest shareholder in AstraZeneca, Reuters notes. The Wallenberg Foundation is giving the center an eight-year, $37 million grant, while the drug company will provide $1.2 million a year for three years.
In addition to scouring the secretome for new drug ideas, AstraZeneca says it is also interested in studying it to improve drug manufacturing.