The UK pharma major AstraZeneca has decided to dissolve the AstraZeneca Research Foundation (AZREFI) with its parent company taking on the onus to providing support for the science projects.

The two-decade-old AZREFI was an independent not-for profit organisation founded to encourage biomedical research in India for discovery of therapeutics, prophylactics and diagnostics. The Research Foundation was led by Dr Anand Kumar. It has now restructured its funds for the long term, to build upon its pioneering sponsorship work in the future, stated a company release.

India has an important role to play globally. AstraZeneca has recognised the strengths of Indian science which is demonstrated our growing and sustained commitment stated Prof. Jan Lundberg executive vice president of discovery research at AstraZeneca.

The grants disbursed by the Foundation have benefited St. Johns National Academy of Health Sciences, Bangalore - a Chair in infectious diseases and an endowment in support of Clinical Infectious Diseases Research which received Rs 70 million. Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai - an endowment to support a teaching research programme in Medicinal Chemistry (Rs. 20 million ) National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Chandigarh - an endowment in support of drug discovery research and training (Rs. 6 million ).

Institute of Bioinformatics Biotechnology, Bangalore - a Chair in Chemoinformatics (Rs. 4.5 million). Centre for Human Genetics, Bangalore - a Chair in Genetics of population susceptibility for infections (Rs. 4.5 million).

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore - a Chair in the Division of Biological Sciences, which is named Astra Professorship (Rs 2.5 million) and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore - a Chair in Biological Sciences with a focus on the biology of infectious organisms. (Rs 5.0 million).

The foundation was set-up group of scientists who included Nobel Laureate Prof Sune Bergström, Swedish and Indian Fellows of UK's Royal Society.

The company has also assisted in Bangalore Genei, (now a major supplier of molecular biology tools) and Syngene (the first Contract Research Company in India to produce tools for the expression of proteins and peptides, now a global enterprise). The technology supporting a diagnostic tool for Neurocysticercosis was licensed to XCyton Diagnostics and the kit is marketed today in India.

The Foundation was also responsible for a series of lectures titled as Prof. Sune Bergstrom Public Lecture and Prof S Ramaseshan lecture have received international recognition.