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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.

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 and Parkinson’s), 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)