Drugmakers, Academia Team Up to Advance Preclinical Research

Three of the world’s drug giants will partner with U.K.-based universities in a $57 million agreement to advance academic preclinical research.

AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Johnson & Johnson Innovation will each contribute a total of roughly $14.3 million over six years to create the Apollo Therapeutics Fund. The technology transfer offices of the Imperial College London, University College London and the University of Cambridge will add about $4.7 million each over that span.

The fund will seek to translate academic science from the universities into innovative new medicines for a broad range of diseases. One of the industry partners will then advance the research after an internal bidding process, or that research will be out-licensed.