Biopharmaceutical company Enlight Biosciences formed strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical corporations AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk on Thursday. The two firms will have the chance to invest in Enlight with the aim of creating technology for use in their therapeutics programs.
Enlight was originally formed in 2008 by early stage investment company PureTech Ventures, with $39m of funding partially provided by pharmaceutical conglomerates Pfizer, Merck and Eli Lilly.
The idea behind Enlight is to locate innovations from academic laboratories which can then be used in drug and molecular research, and Enlight has formed several medical technology companies of its own, only two of which have thus far been announced. Entegra focuses on delivering proteins orally while Endra produces imaging technology for live animals used in research.
Menelas Pangalos, executive vice president of innovative medicines AstraZeneca, said: "This partnership reflects AstraZeneca’s commitment to accessing and fostering innovation that exists outside of our own labs. Enlight provides a unique opportunity for AstraZeneca and MedImmune, our biologics arm, to collaborate with our peers and contribute to the development of tools that will fundamentally enhance research & development (R&D) across the industry."
Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, chief science officer at Novo Nordisk, said: "At Novo Nordisk, we apply our unique combination of skills in protein engineering and expression, formulation and delivery to enhance the quality of care and bring new treatment options to patients. Through our participation in Enlight, we will be able to actively support the advancement of innovative ideas while proactively addressing the needs of our expanding global R&D organization."