Sanofi, a global biopharmaceutical company, has recently announced it will be teaming up with the Stanford University School of Medicine in a three-year pact set to explore and contribute to the fields of immunology and inflammation. Sanofi’s role in this partnership, in addition to contributing to scientific collaboration, is to provide capital and resources into mutually beneficial scientific studies relating to inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases.
There are currently three studies being funded and researched by this partnership. The first will examine the impact of Sanofi’s investigational molecules on excessive type 2 inflammation by exploring the cytokine crosswalk. The second will work to better understand the antigens that cause type 1 diabetes by decoding molecular drivers of effector and suppressor T cells. They will also be conducting a study with focus on pneumonitis and inflammatory arthritis and exploring the role that pathogenic cell identification and genomics play on these diseases.
Stanford Medicine and Sanofi will also be assembling a Joint Steering Committee which will be in charge of seeking funding for up to three programs per year relating to the relevant fields. Sanofi also plans to host research forums annually to update professionals in the field on advancement, as well as exchange research and address relevant scientific matters.
Because it often takes over a decade for medications to move through the arduous process of reaching the public domain, this partnership will serve as a beneficial step to frontline development of multiple drugs at once and maximize the impact of making it through regulation and testing processes.
"Sanofi's collaboration with Stanford University aims to transform how autoimmune disorders and inflammatory conditions are understood and treated. It will help accelerate our ambitious immunoscience programs as we advance a rich pipeline of first- and best-in-class medicines across key therapeutic areas to address unmet patient needs," said Frank Nestle, Sanofi’s Global Head of Research and Chief Scientific Officer.
The potential applications of this research can aid in the treatment of type 1 diabetes, the side-effects of cancer, and diseases that compromise the immune system. Future projects will likely scope the field of autoimmune disorders.
