Novo Nordisk invests £115 in new type 2 diabetes research with Oxford
January 30, 2017Novo Nordisk and University of Oxford have expanded their partnership on researching type 2 diabetes, and will open a new research centre in Oxford.
The expanded partnership will enable their scientists to work together on new ways to treat type 2 diabetes. As part of the collaboration, Novo Nordisk said it will investi around 1 billion Danish kroner (£115 million) in a new research centre on the premises of the University of Oxford, through next 10 years.
According to the Novo Nordisk’s press release, Novo Nordisk’s Research Centre Oxford will employ up to 100 Novo Nordisk researchers, based in an Oxford research centre, which will focus on innovation within early stage research to impact future treatment of type 2 diabetes.
“This collaboration brings together some of the world’s sharpest minds in the field of diabetes to seek new targets for therapeutic innovation. It combines Novo Nordisk’s 90 years’ experience in developing treatments for diabetes with the expertise of world leading scientists from the University of Oxford. Our vision is that the unique combination of industrial and academic know-how will eventually lead to a new generation of treatments to improve the lives of people with type 2 diabetes”, said Chief Science Officer and Executive Vice President of Novo Nordisk, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen.
Sir John Bell, Regius Professor of Medicine, University of Oxford, said: “We see the collaboration with Novo Nordisk as an outstanding opportunity to mix competence embedded at our campus with Novo Nordisk’s groundbreaking research and results in diabetes.”
James D. Johnson to lead the research centre
James D. Johnson, Professor, PhD, has been appointed head of the Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford. Dr Johnson is currently Professor at the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences and the Department of Surgery at the University of British Columbia.
Novo Nordisk and University of Oxford have had a collaboration since 2013 through the International Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme.
