Oxford University and Novo Nordisk invest $143m in diabetes partnership

The University of Oxford and Denmark-based Novo Nordisk have entered into a DKr1 billion ($143 million) research collaboration focusing on type 2 diabetes.

The partnership,  announced today, January 30, will enable scientists at Novo Nordisk and the university to collaborate to discover "innovative approaches" for treating type 2 diabetes.

Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford, based at the university, will employ up to 100 researchers from Novo Nordisk.

Over a period of ten years, the centre will focus on innovation within early stage research that has the potential to “substantially impact future treatment” of type 2 diabetes and its complications.

Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, chief science officer and executive vice president of Novo Nordisk, said: "This collaboration brings together some of the world's sharpest minds in the field of diabetes to seek new targets for therapeutic innovation.”

John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the university, added: "We see the collaboration with Novo Nordisk as an outstanding opportunity to mix competence embedded at our campus with Novo Nordisk's ground-breaking research and results in diabetes."