New exciting collaboration with MedImmune on training and education of young diabetes researchers

The Danish Diabetes Academy has started an exciting collaboration with biotech company MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca.

The three-year collaboration between the Danish Diabetes Academy, MedImmune, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark will frame the education of three postdoctoral fellows.

The collaboration will give the three postdocs the opportunity to carry out scientific work not only at the universities, but also at MedImmune’s labs, and so gain experience of working in biotech settings.

Danish Diabetes Academy Managing Director Tore Christiansen is excited about the collaboration, which he calls yet another important milestone in the story of the Danish Diabetes Academy.

‘We have started the exciting collaboration with MedImmune because we aim to build bridges between academia and the life science industry. The Government’s Growth Plan for Life Science  calls for the life science industry to have better access to qualified personnel, because demand is growing strongly. We want to help to meet that demand. We at the DDA will make active use of the three postdocs running the projects in our educational activities, including PhD courses and seminars, so that they can inspire PhD students and perhaps other postdocs who are thinking of making a career in Life Science’, he says.

The three postdocs will all work on identifying early markers of cardiovascular, renal and metabolic disorders. Professor Torben Hansen from University  Copenhagen, where two of the postdocs are employed, is looking forward to seeing the new collaboration unfold.

‘Our main interest in working with MedImmune is to do translational research. Having a close collaboration with a biotech company like MedImmune will allow us to explore the follow-up potential of our research’, he says. 

Chris Rhodes, Vice President of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disease Research at MedImmune says:

 “Through this collaboration our goal is to identify markers for serious and debilitating cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, which represent a core area of focus for MedImmune. Collaboration has always been a part of our DNA, along with a commitment to nurturing the next generation of translational scientists, which is why we are thrilled to be the first biotechnology company to partner with the Danish Diabetes Academy, a global leader in diabetes research and education.”