AstraZeneca signs drug discovery collaboration with Cancer Research UK

UK pharma major AstraZeneca (LSE: AZN) and charity Cancer Research UK have signed a memorandum of understanding through which Cancer Research UK drug discovery investigators would be given access to state-of-the-art drug discovery facilities at the new AstraZeneca MRC UK Centre for Lead Discovery to be built in Cambridge.

As part of the five-year collaboration, scientists from Cancer Research UK can access more than two million molecules in AstraZeneca’s compound library, as well as screening tools at the facility. Screening methods will be used to identify lead compounds within the compound library including fragment-based lead generation, in which small chemical fragments are screened against drug targets; screening of a collection of compounds potentially useful for blocking kinase drug targets, and phenotypic screens to identify active compounds within cells that could be starting points for new drugs.

Scientists from the charity and AstraZeneca will work on up to five drug screens annually. Cancer Research UK will decide which novel cancer drug discovery projects to investigate and AstraZeneca has the option to negotiate a commercial license with Cancer Research Technology, Cancer Research UK’s commercial arm, to progress the most promising candidates through further drug discovery and development.