GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Immune Disease Institute, Boston (IDI) announced a five year collaboration worth $25 million to build a unique partnership in immuno-inflammation research.

The collaboration aims to combine IDI's world-class immunological expertise with GSK's pharmaceutical capabilities within a competitive framework. The partnership will be pioneering in the way it allows researchers at both institutions to develop joint grant proposals in targeted areas of research under an innovative and competitive Alliance Research grant program.

In addition to the substantial scientific benefits brought by a long-term synergy with world class immunologists, GSK will receive an exclusive Right of First Negotiation for a substantial portion of the new technologies discovered and disclosed by IDI scientists during the term of the agreement. The research term for the collaboration is five years and will be anchored through GSK's Immuno-Inflammation Centre of Excellence in Drug Discovery (II CEDD).

Commenting on the collaboration, Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos, Ph.D., senior vice president and head of the Immuno-Inflammation Center of Excellence for Drug Discovery of GSK, stated "GSK is committed to becoming a world leader within 3 years in drug discovery of immuno-inflammation. We are tremendously excited that we are able to work with IDI scientists, and share their passion, innovation and ground-breaking technologies. This agreement fits perfectly with our strategy to pursue scientific excellence and technologies both internally and externally. The best science coming from IDI and the best drug discovery capabilities from GSK will produce transformative medicines that will change patients lives".

"The IDI scientists are extremely excited about this tremendous opportunity to collaborate with scientists at GSK," said Frederick Alt, Ph.D, IDI's Scientific Director. "This unique scientific alliance should significantly enhance our efforts to push forward with ground-breaking research in immunology and inflammation and, in particular, it should enhance our ability to translate basic discoveries into the clinical setting."

The Immuno-Inflammation Centre of Excellence for Drug Discovery is dedicated to discovering therapies for inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. It is designed to integrate and better coordinate the progression of inflammatory disease medicines from therapeutic hypothesis to clinical proof of concept.

The Immune Disease Institute is an independent non-profit corporation, which is academically affiliated with Harvard Medical School. The Institute's mission is fundamental biomedical research to improve human health, harness inflammation and to strengthen immune defense.