AstraZeneca has unveiled a duo of research deals focused on developing new therapies for diabetes and kidney disease.
The Anglo-Swedish drugs giant is partnering with the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) in a three-year deal that will look at new therapeutic approaches to type II diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
A joint team of investigators for each project will focus on three key areas: mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) activity as a route to treating CKD; enhancing tissue sensitivity to insulin; and exploring the loss of insulin production.
The move fits with AZ’s cardiovascular and metabolic research focus, and “represents a great opportunity for advancing research in these important fields,” noted Christian Boitard, Director of the Inserm institute for Physiopathology, Metabolism and Nutrition.
Elsewhere, AZ and the University of Michigan have paired up to advance the treatment of CKD by improving understanding of the disease, to help address significant unmet need in the field.
The collaboration intends to examine databases of biopsies from CKD patients to identify biological targets and pathways that can predict disease progression, improve animal models to increase their human relevance, and identify biomarkers for disease progression and treatment response.
Further terms were not revealed.
