The University of Glasgow and Eli Lilly and Company are expanding their research partnership with a £7.6 million, four-year project focused on immune-related diseases. The project builds on an initial five-year collaboration between the organisations, which explored potential treatments and therapies for conditions including psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibrosis and vasculitis.
The new programme will continue work on rheumatic diseases while extending the research to gastrointestinal conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, and respiratory diseases such as COPD and interstitial lung disease. The University of Glasgow team is led by Professor Carl Goodyear and includes Professors Iain McInnes, Neil Basu, David Colville, Robert Gray, Gwo-Tzer Ho and Mariola Kurowska-Stolarska.
Researchers will explore immune reprogramming and the rationale for combination therapies which could demonstrate efficacy in clinical trials. They will also investigate the potential of whole-body imaging using the NPIP Scotland Total-body PET scanner, which is managed through a partnership between the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The collaboration will combine Glasgow’s clinical and translational medicine expertise with Lilly’s therapeutic capabilities and technology platforms. Its research goals include discovering and validating new disease mechanisms and potential drug targets.
Professor Carl Goodyear, professor of translational immunology and assistant vice-principal at the University of Glasgow, said: “We are delighted to renew our collaboration with Eli Lilly, which represents an important opportunity to combine Glasgow’s world-class clinical and translational skills with Lilly’s therapeutic capabilities and technology platforms.
“The renewal of our collaboration cements the University of Glasgow’s position as a partner of choice for patient-related medical research and drug discovery.
“Our combined vision is to collaborate on research across a range of immune-related disease for the furtherance of impactful scientific, clinical, and pharmaceutical benefits. Our overall aim is to alleviate the suffering of individuals with immune-mediated diseases so they can live better lives.”
Professor Iain McInnes, University of Glasgow vice-principal and head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, said: “We are very proud to be continuing our collaboration with Lilly and to be expanding the scope of our work together across a broad range of immune-related diseases.
“The University of Glasgow is committed to translating world-leading research into real-world clinical impact for patients, and this strengthened collaboration will play an important role in helping us achieve that goal.”
