GSK has signed a five-year deal with JAX-NYSCF to build stem cell models for neurodegenerative disease, with Alzheimer’s a key target.
The collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory-New York Stem Cell Foundation Collaborative aims to combine human stem cell research with large-scale research systems to help bridge discovery and drug development.
The partners plan to develop models using patient-derived pluripotent stem cells, which can be reprogrammed to become almost any cell type, to better reflect complex human biology and support the search for new therapies.
Chris Austin, senior vice president and global head of research technologies at GSK, said: “We have an opportunity to develop more predictive models and ultimately, to use that better understanding to develop potential new medicines and determine which patients are most likely to benefit from new therapies.”
The deal comes during a busy spell for the London-based drugmaker.
GSK acquired Rapt Therapeutics last month in a US$2.2bn deal focused on a candidate for food allergy reactions, while earlier this month it announced layoffs affecting its research and development team. Several moves have coincided with the arrival of chief executive Luke Miels, who took up the role at the start of the year.
Maine-based Jackson Laboratory has also been active.
Last autumn, it acquired the New York Stem Cell Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to finding cures through stem cell research, a move reflected in the organisation’s new name.
Jackson Laboratory chief executive Lon Cardon said the collaboration was an example of the future of biomedical research and would help scale models designed to better reflect complex human biology.
JAX-NYSCF’s access to patient cohorts, an automation platform and stem cell technology will pair with GSK’s experience in neurodegenerative disease and drug discovery, in what the parties hope will help identify and prioritise promising drug candidates.
GSK’s recent track record in the area has been mixed.
Last autumn, a dementia asset failed a phase 3 trial as part of a partnership with Alector Therapeutics.
In December, GSK paid US$17.5m upfront to collaborate with CAMP4 Therapeutics on RNA-targeting treatments for neurodegenerative and kidney disease.
