AstraZeneca Partners with WCPR to Research Secretome

On Dec. 11, 2015, AstraZeneca and its global biologics research and development arm, MedImmune, announced a three-year collaboration with the newly established Wallenberg Center for Protein Research (WCPR).

The WCPR focuses on characterization of the human proteome and the development of new production platforms for biopharmaceuticals. The collaboration aims to develop new technologies for biologics production and to identify targets for disease research in the area of the Secretome-proteins that are secreted by a cell or exposed to the outside of the cell from within the cell membrane. 

AstraZeneca and MedImmune are focusing on two primary initiatives:

• AstraZeneca’s Innovative Medicines biotech unit (iMED) will screen the Secretome library using the company’s proprietary assays to identify new protein-based targets for compound development across a range of diseases.

• The creation of new “cell factories” for the large-scale production of therapeutic proteins to support MedImmune’s pipeline. 

The Secretome accounts for approximately one-third of all human proteins, which play a major role in most biological processes-including cardiac regeneration, the maintenance of functioning cells for glucose balance, and cancer proliferation and migration. This group of proteins is considered to be an invaluable source for identifying new biomarkers and drug targets and for developing novel biologics.

Source: AstraZeneca