The University of Manchester and GSK strike new research alliance

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline and The University of Manchester have agreed a new research alliance that will help meet the challenge of accelerating translational research efforts within each organisation.

The framework will define how scientists and physicians from both parties will work together to identify new research avenues, collaborate in efforts to better understand a variety of disease areas and support drug discovery within the UK.

It will focus on research methodologies such as systems biology and biomedical imaging, and treatment areas such as respiratory disease and inflammation processes. It also brings together two major research organisations with the allied aim of achieving excellence in translational or "lab bench to bedside" medical research.

The alliance is an opportunity to formalise and enhance an already strong research relationship: the University has a notable collaborative history with GSK through links with leading University researchers such as Professors Doug Kell, Ashley Woodcock, David Ray, Alistair Burns, Karl Herholz and Brian Houston. It is anticipated that the new framework will boost the benefits of this relationship.

The alliance is also expected to provide shared opportunities in the exchange of ideas and methodologies and staff secondment, and result in a combined approach to research funding bids. It will have a direct impact on the drug discovery process, identifying areas of pre-competitive research of importance to the entire UK pharmaceutical industry and securing the UK science base

Alan North, the University Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Medical Human Sciences and Faculty of Life Sciences, said: "A mutually supportive framework like this will not only give GSK access to University expertise and facilities in a number of key research fields, but will also be tremendously valuable in helping to develop more research breakthroughs from the lab bench for the direct benefit of patients."

GSK senior vice president for Discovery Research, Patrick Valliance, said: "GSK is very excited by the opportunity to formalise links with The University of Manchester which has invested heavily in its scientific capabilities in recent years."