Science in our DNA

Our scientific heritage is grounded in pushing the boundaries of small molecule discovery and development. For decades, our scientists have led the way in identifying the right chemical leads. Our early discovery and high throughput screening capabilities enable us to screen thousands of compounds a day to identify molecules with potential to inhibit or activate the target.

Biologics are in development across all our therapy areas and now account for half our pipeline. Much of our biologics work focuses on specifically defined or biologically targeted populations, determined by the scientific pathway of the disease and mode of action of the molecule. Biologics have revolutionised medicine, treating complex diseases including various types of cancer and autoimmune disorders.

We aim to provide industry-leading devices that are easy to use and improve the lives of patients. This includes smart technology-enabled devices that improve patient outcomes through intelligent solutions such as patient feedback to support correct use, dose reminders and disease progression and monitoring. Along with inhalation devices we are also exploring how to better meet patient needs in non-oral, non-inhaled therapies across our main therapy areas.

Immuno-oncology is a promising therapeutic approach that harnesses the patient’s own immune system to help fight cancer. Our strategy is to develop novel combinations that target each of the escape mechanisms used by tumour cells to evade the immune system. Our immuno-oncology pipeline contains molecules that enhance immune response, tumour destruction or immune cell memory and compounds that target the tumour microenvironment.

As a leader in personalised healthcare, we are committed to matching new medicines to the patients most likely to benefit. We combine industry-leading expertise in companion diagnostics with laboratory science in molecular diagnostics, tissue diagnostics, imaging and protein biomarkers. This includes working collaboratively with our external partners to harness break-through technologies across the life-cycle of our medicines.

Our teams work alongside the world's leading academic and biotech research institutions to stimulate innovation and evaluate emerging technologies. By combining the great science happening in our labs with the best external science, we can accelerate drug discovery and development across our main therapy areas. Today, our teams are working in pioneering fields such as modified RNA and genome editing with CRISPR.