The collaboration with the Technion is a significant link in the chain of collaborations that Teva promotes with leading academic institutions, including Tel Aviv University, the Weizmann Institute of Science and more
Following the strategic collaborations that Teva created with the Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University and their researchers earlier this year, as part of Teva's global activities with selected academic partners, the "Teva Academy" activity continues to expand. In recent months, several collaborations were signed with the Technion in the field of immunotherapy for cancer and diseases of the nervous system. This, even in the shadow of the corona crisis, when during the last months the joint research gained momentum, and the researchers at the Technion are working to promote the research with the help of Teva's research and development groups from Israel and the world.
The new projects recently signed focus on the development of new immunotherapy methods in the fields of cancer and the brain. Research teams from the Technion are conducting a joint study to test the effectiveness of innovative immunotherapy treatments by antibodies or cellular therapy in unique models for the treatment of cancer, Parkinson's and migraine. For example, the projects combine advanced technologies for the development of smart drug carriers that can reach the brain or cancerous tumors, the activation of relevant activity areas in the brain and the examination of their effect on the nervous periphery and the immune system, and the study of the effect of the microbiome (the bacterial environment inside the human body) on the development of Parkinson's disease. The projects combine antibody and protein engineering as well as advanced computational analyzes of the immune and bacterial systems.
It should also be noted that, with the support of the Innovation Authority, this year three "Nofer" grants were given to researchers from the Technion who are part of the collaboration with Teva, and these days the Authority is examining other similar collaborations. In total, six joint projects for Technion and Teva researchers have started in recent months as part of the research collaboration. In addition, eight outstanding students from the Technion were selected for Teva's national student forum known as The National Forum for Bioinnovators by Teva, which includes scholarships and professional and personal training for students and their supervisors in order to connect them to the world of pharma.
These projects, which are managed through the Technion Institute for Research and Development, constitute a significant pillar in the collaboration program that Teva initiated and promotes with the Israeli academy, collaborations that were revealed during the past year. In order to locate those collaborations, Teva carried out a deep process for locating and mapping potential research partners and examined about 400 laboratories in the Israeli academy and about 90 start-ups in the field of biology. Of these, Teva chose 15 strategic collaborations with leading academic research groups in Israel, the joining of which creates significant and strategic value for both the academic institutions and Teva. It should be noted that the process continues all the time and will expand during the year.
According to Dr. Dana Bar-On, project leader and manager of academic relations at Teva, "The collaboration with the Technion is one of the main building blocks of Teva's academic relations program - in Israel and internationally. After intensive mapping, we found leading researchers and partners at the Technion for joint research and development even in the early stages. The integration of the forces of the academy with Teva is gaining momentum these days despite the delay caused by the spread of the corona virus and the closing of some of the activities at the universities. We believe that the projects will mature in the coming years and some of them will be able to enter Teva's future pipeline".
"Collaboration between Technion researchers and Teva researchers has already borne fruit in the past and led to the development of the drug Azylact," said Prof. Kobi Rubinstein, the Technion's vice president for research. "The Technion encourages and promotes industrial and academic relations on an ongoing basis for the benefit of advancing research and training its students. I welcome the research collaboration with Teva and am convinced that it will lead to innovative developments in the pharmaceutical field for the benefit of all humanity."
More on the subject on the science website
A technology developed at the Technion is expected to significantly improve the effectiveness of existing drugs in the treatment of lung diseases
Researchers at the Technion and Bar Ilan University have developed a new technology for transporting drugs to the brain inside silicon chips with a nanometer structure
A Technion researcher presents new ways to curb the development of resistance to cancer treatments
