AstraZeneca, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to collaborate on cancer treatment research

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Jan. 12 - AstraZeneca and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center entered into scientific collaboration agreements to carry out integrated pre-clinical and clinical research on new treatments for cancer. Research will initially focus on aerodigestive diseases or lung cancer, head and neck cancers and colorectal cancers, according to a company news release.

The specific terms of the renewable three-year master agreements were not released. "Establishing a framework for our ongoing relationship will save time and effort when negotiating individual research projects in the future," Les Hughes, global head of cancer research for AstraZeneca said in the release.

AstraZeneca and M.D. Anderson share a mutual goal of designing clinical trials that more efficiently determine the effectiveness of innovative cancer treatments, according to the release. Scientists will combine resources and expertise in disease intervention, translating their findings to the clinic.

"Integrating ideas with industry earlier in the drug development process will enhance our ability to bring new treatments from the bench to the bedside more rapidly," Robert Bast, vice president for translational research at M.D. Anderson, said in the release. "To make the most rapid progress in the era of targeted therapies, we need new ways to organize our research and to collaborate with pharma for the benefit of our patients."

AstraZeneca, based in London, is an international healthcare business.

Houston-based M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, a component of The University of Texas System, specializes in cancer patient care, research, education and prevention.

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