Asian Scientist (Jan. 27, 2014) – The Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca have signed an agreement to collaborate in cardiovascular disease (CVD) research.
Under the agreement, SIBS scientists will work in collaboration with AstraZeneca’s Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disease (CVMD) Innovative Medicines group. The research collaboration will focus on studying the early development of the coronary vessels that supply the heart with the aim of assessing the viability of regenerating the main branch of the coronary arteries.
China has over 100 million people with heart disease and is the ‘diabetes capital of the world’ with over 92 million adult suffers. CVDs are a major complication of diabetes – about 65% of people with diabetes die from heart disease and stroke.
Prof. Chen Yan, head of SIBS’ Institute for Nutritional Sciences said “We’re delighted to be collaborating with AstraZeneca, a world-leader in biopharmaceutical innovation. Applying the knowledge obtained from research to better understand cardiovascular vessel formation, development and re-generation may shed new light on potential drug pathways and targets within adult regenerative medicine.”
Dr. Steve Yang, head of AstraZeneca’s Asia and Emerging Markets Innovative Medicines group, commented, “AstraZeneca has adopted a more intense focus on early stage academic and biotech alliances with best in class institutes like SIBS. By forging partnerships with leading institutions in emerging hot spots of scientific innovation such as China, we aim to better understand the mechanisms and drivers of diseases develop and strengthen scientific ecosystems and help bring the next generation of innovative new medicines to patients faster.”
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Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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