Sponsors
AstraZeneca - participating in the fight against tuberculosis
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a global killer - one-third of the world's population shows evidence of latent infection with this organism. However, there have been no major changes in treatment in the past 40 years and resistance is developing steadily.
AstraZeneca is working to find new therapies for TB - underlined by the work of our research centre in Boston and the specific focus of the new state-of-the-art discovery facility in Bangalore.
In Bangalore, we use powerful new technologies and collaborate with international scientists as we work towards four specific goals for our TB research programme:
- Reducing the duration of therapy
- Eradicating latent disease
- Combating drug resistance
- Ensuring compatibility with anti-HIV therapies
AstraZeneca is proud to be able to use its skills and experience, in collaboration with research institutions, universities and community projects around the world, in the fight against TB.
For more information please go to www.astrazeneca.co.uk.
Infectious diseases remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality, the second leading cause of death world wide, infections are also the third leading cause of mortality in developed countries. Contributing factors include increasing population densities, greater international travel, and immune suppression. Indeed the practice of medicine itself is contributing inadvertently to these trends through the increasing use of immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies. The "age of antibiotics," beginning in the 1940s, had a major impact on extending lives but we now know that resistance to antibiotics can and does arise; finding new ways to prevent and treat infections will be a major challenge in the 21st century.
Wyeth has a rich history in the discovery and development of therapeutics and preventatives from the discovery of the tetracyclines to the development of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Most recently four Wyeth Scientists received the Heroes of Chemistry Award for the discovery and development of tigecycline, an antibiotic targeting resistant and susceptible bacteria. In the 21st century there will be an increasing focus on the role of the host in the acquisition and dissemination of infections. In that regard Wyeth's Translational Medicine Research Collaboration with four major research universities and the National Health Service in Scotland will lead the way in a unique academic/industrial partnership to better understand the molecular basis of disease in general.
For more information please visit www.wyeth.com.
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