Priority areas of science
We are strongly committed to research collaborations with academic groups to advance scientific understanding relevant to our key areas of focus:
- Respiratory
- Metabolic pathways
- Immuno-inflammation
- Neurosciences
- Infectious diseases
- Ophthalmology
- Oncology
- Biopharmaceuticals
Specific topics of interest currently for academic collaboration are outlined below
Interested parties should contact the Science Environment Development team by email * clearly stating the specific topic for potential collaboration.
* Please note that this email address should not be used for reporting side effects of medicines. If you want to report a side effect, please call the GSK Response Center in the US on 1-888-825-5249 or the Customer Contact Centre in the UK on 0800 221441. For other locations, please contact your local GSK office.
Immuno-inflammation
- Signalling pathways of pattern recognition receptors (eg TLRs, NLRs)
- Orphan/niche autoimmune diseases
- Epigenetic regulation of immune function
- Mechanisms of lymphocyte activation
- Modulation of Th17/Tregs
Oncology
- Epigenetics
- Tumor metabolism
- Cancer stem cell pathways
- The epithelial-mesenchymal transition
- Oncology targets for Biopharmaceuticals
- Linkage of early oncology discovery activities with clinically meaningful endpoints (e.g. via biomarkers, bioimaging)
- Health outcomes and reimbursement/access research
- Bioinformatics, study designs and adaptive design modelling
- Optimizing data collection and management
- Tools for investigator training and improving study outcomes
Neurosciences
- Translational technologies for neurosciences (e.g. clinical assessments, experimental study methods)
- Increased understanding of the inherent variability and stratification within neuroscience disease populations (including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, depression and pain), and novel outcome measures
- Novel CNS drug delivery technologies
- Imaging of pathophysiology and pathology of CNS disorders, including neurodegeneration
- Novel targets, MOA or translational medicine in neurodegenerative disorders in general (including Multiple Sclerosis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Huntington’s Disease)
Metabolic Pathways
- Adipose tissue dysfunction (adipokines, lipokines, inflammation)
- Fat oxidation in white and brown adipose tissue
- Endoplasmic reticulum stress
- Novel circulating proteins and lipid mediators influencing cell energetics and/or acting on adipose tissue or produced by the adipose tissue
- Epidemiology of muscle wasting
- Skeletal muscle sarcomere unit targets/pathways/biology
- Biomarkers/translational technologies for identifying improvement in muscle function/strength
- Novel approaches to Heart Failure Therapy with particular focus on:
- Cardiac metabolism and energetics
- Cardiac remodelling
- Cardiomyocyte survival/apoptosis
Infectious diseases
- New approaches for treating viral (including HCV, HIV, RSV, HPV, HBV) and bacterial infections
- Rapid diagnostic systems for viral and bacterial infections
- Generation of epidemiology/surveillance data, particularly in emerging markets
- Validated biomarkers and surrogates for cardiovascular risk factors in HIV showing links between changes in biomarkers/surrogates and clinical events
- Validated cardiovascular risk calculator for HIV patients
- Enhanced quality and more efficient short-term surrogate endpoints for long-term clinical events in HIV and HCV
- Validated quality of life tools for HIV
Biopharmaceuticals
- Novel delivery technologies for therapeutic proteins
- Imaging of pancreatic beta islet cell function in diabetes
- Bioprocessing and manufacturing technology for therapeutic proteins (e.g. dry powder stabilization, high concentration formulation)
- Improving downstream capture steps from microbial/mammalian large scale fermentations
- Microbial protein expression, especially to optimize or engineer bacterial strains for protein secretion
- Platforms other than CHO cells for IgG production
- Methods for modifying the Fc region of antibodies to increase half-life (PK) in vivo
Respiratory
- Acquired resistance to steroids
- Host defence mechanisms in the lung
- Immunomodulation
- Lung fibrosis and repair
- Mucus production and mucociliary clearance
- CFTR protein function
- Neuronal hypersensitivity in airways disease
- Novel bronchodilator targets (not beta2 agonists or muscarinic antagonists)
- Oxidative stress
- Resolution of inflammation
Ophthalmology
- Retinal diseases (Neovascular AMD, Dry AMD, Diabetic Retinopathy, Diabetic Macula Edema)
- Inflammatory diseases (Dry Eye, Uveitis)
- Technologies for delivering drugs to the retina
- Mechanisms and molecules for protection of retinal and pigmented epithelial diseases and neuroprotection of retinal diseases
- Glaucoma (not IOP)
