Waters Impact Story

AstraZeneca BioVentureHub catalyzes venture client collaboration between AstraZeneca and Waters Corporation

Overview

Waters Corporation, a leader in analytical instrumentation and software, has long partnered with AstraZeneca on specialized measurement tools. In 2020, this partnership deepened through AstraZeneca's BioVentureHub, where Waters established a dedicated team of specialists at AstraZeneca's R&D site in Gothenburg, Sweden. This co-location enabled daily interactions between Waters experts and AstraZeneca scientists, fostering real-time collaboration and innovation.

The challenge

AstraZeneca’s R&D teams face increasing complexity in analyzing large datasets generated from drug discovery and development. These challenges demand advanced analytical tools and software solutions that can seamlessly integrate with existing systems while improving accuracy and efficiency. AstraZeneca recognized that collaborating with external innovators like Waters could accelerate the development of these tools.

Jayesh Kattla demonstrates the solution and instruments involved in Waters and AstraZeneca collaboration.

Co-location and collaboration through the BioVentureHub

The BioVentureHub catalyzed this collaboration by allowing Waters to test their solutions early in their innovation cycles, directly with AstraZeneca scientists. Enabling the co-location of Waters' team at AstraZeneca’s R&D site in Gothenburg, the proximity facilitated the co-development of next-generation tools, with a focus on enhancing data integration, improving analytical accuracy and accelerating the innovation cycle. The collaboration has progressed through phases of team integration, needs assessment, co-development, pilot testing and scaling up, ultimately leading to advanced tools and faster drug discovery processes.

Outcomes

The collaboration has resulted in several key outcomes:

• Advanced analytical tools: Waters has developed cutting-edge analytical tools that have significantly improved data integration and analysis accuracy within AstraZeneca’s R&D workflows.
• Accelerated drug discovery: The new tools have enabled AstraZeneca to reduce time from data generation to actionable insights.
• Strengthened innovation ecosystem: The collaboration has benefited both companies and reinforced the BioVentureHub’s role as a catalyst for innovation in the life sciences industry.
• Long-term collaboration: The success of this collaboration has paved the way for additional collaborative projects between AstraZeneca and Waters, with both companies continuing to explore new areas for joint innovation.