Roche joins forces with US academia in stem-cell technology for drug discovery

Swiss drug major Roche has announced a three to five-year joint research collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, USA) and Harvard University (Cambridge, USA) that will use stem cell technologies to advance drug discovery in areas of high unmet medical need. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The aim is to develop cellular models of disease, based on human stem cell lines and to investigate the potential efficacy, safety and toxicology profile of new drug candidates from Roche's compound library. Cell lines will be derived from the tissues of healthy volunteers and from patients with various diseases.

Initial focus on metabolic and cardiovascular disorders