AstraZeneca and MedImmune to harness the power of the Secretome

AstraZeneca and MedImmune have entered a three-year collaboration with the newly established Wallenberg Centre for Protein Research (WCPR).

The collaboration aims to develop new technologies for biologics production and to identify new targets for disease research in the ground-breaking area of the Secretome – research into all proteins that are secreted by a cell or that are exposed to the outside of the cell from within the cell membrane.

As part of the collaboration, 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 collaboration will also see the creation of new ‘cell factories’ for the large-scale production of therapeutic proteins to support MedImmune’s deep and diversifying pipeline.

Secretome accounts for 1/3 of human proteins

Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca Chief Executive, said, “We’re tremendously excited to be part of this innovative collaboration as we explore what science can do to advance medical research. Harnessing the power of the Secretome in this unprecedented way will help us to identify new biomarkers, drug targets and ultimately develop next-generation biological treatments.”

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