Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology and AstraZeneca form an oncology alliance

Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO) have signed an alliance agreement with AstraZeneca and MedImmune, its worldwide biologics research and development arm, to research and develop medicines to treat cancer. Through this alliance, both organisations will collaborate on preclinical, clinical and translational research across the company’s oncology portfolio.

This agreement aligns with the company’s commitment to deliver molecular targeted therapies for each specific tumour and personalized treatments that change the lives of cancer patients. Initially, the alliance will focus on the areas of DNA damage repair, drug resistance, new drug combinations and molecular profiles for patient selection.

According to Dr. Josep Tabernero, director of Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), “We are currently seeing encouraging signs of success as novel molecular entities strike powerful blows against cancer targets. When development of resistance to therapy unfortunately occurs, we need to explore alternative therapeutic avenues aimed at outsmarting tumor escape mechanisms. VHIO´s capacity to advance cancer discovery through its seamless integration of translational science and clinical research, coupled with access to AstraZeneca´s promising early stage oncology pipeline, represents a determined force aimed at ultimately rendering precision medicine in oncology a reality for an increasing number of patients”.

Ludovic Helfgott, President of AstraZeneca Spain, said: “Working together with an organisation of great worldwide prestige like VHIO shows our commitment to Spanish science and the great talent of our country´s researchers. With alliances like this one, we reinforce our commitment with clinical development and advanced research that allows us to continue developing personalized oncology treatments. Through collaborations like this, and our portfolio of products, we aim to redefine the cancer treatment paradigm.”

Susan Galbraith, Head of the Oncology Innovative Medicines Unit at AstraZeneca said: “The Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology has world-leading preclinical and clinical capabilities and is able to bridge understanding between patients and preclinical models. This collaboration matches our desire to deliver the right drugs to the right patients based on understanding each tumour’s molecular profile and will operate across a broad range of our portfolio.”

For more than 40 years, AstraZeneca has been developing cancer drugs, which have helped improve the lives of millions of patients around the world. This commitment, together with the longstanding experience of VHIO in oncology treatment research, will allow this alliance to benefit from the talent of both organisations and help advance the development of novel therapies against cancer.

About MedImmune

MedImmune is the worldwide biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca. MedImmune is pioneering innovative research and exploring novel pathways across key therapeutic areas, including respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity; cardiovascular and metabolic disease; oncology; neuroscience; and infection and vaccines. The MedImmune headquarters is located in Gaithersburg, Md., one of AstraZeneca’s three global R&D centres. For more information, please visit www.medimmune.com

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines, primarily for the treatment of cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmune, oncology, infection and neuroscience diseases. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.es

Photo: Representatives of both AstraZeneca and VHIO, with Ludovic Helfgott (third from the left) and Josep Tabernero (center), at the signing of the agreement at the VHIO