Companies collaborate for diabetes research

A groundbreaking new research project, entitled ‘Systems biology of the Beta cell application to type 2 diabetes progression’, will be undertaken in a joint partnership between Roche and Systems X. The partnership will last for three years, and couples two leading Swiss research teams. The CC-SPMD (Competence Center for Systems Physiology and Metabolic Diseases) division of System X announced the partnership today.
The aim of the research is to uncover new routes for drug development, and to investigate the early stages of Beta cell failure. The team, consisting of over 15 Roche and Systems X scientists will further share ideas and research with University of Zurich and ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology) researchers. Roche will bankroll the project.
The scientists were said to be confident of the validity of their work, and foresaw the creation of new treatment options for patients. The scope of the study, and the blending of academia and industry, may shed new light on both diabetes and the way in which research is approached. Collaboratio, the drawing together of different fields of expertise with a single goal, could hold the key in treating and eventually curing diabetes.