A.Catalyst Network

Launched with the high-profile signing of a collaborative agreement with the Argentinian Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, and later endorsed by an MoU with the National Secretary of Health in August 2019, the Argentina-based hub aspires to develop the healthcare landscape, introducing a paradigm shift in treatment and diagnosis, and elevating the direction of public policy towards precision medicine.

Key initiatives:

• Medical training in Genetic Counselling educational platform: uplifting capabilities at a public oncology hospital (third edition in 2021 saw over 600 HCPs enrol).
• Think tank and open workshop: driving the validation of precision medicine.
• Regulatory framework research: establishing status of precision medicine and the legal and health impact of its implementation.
• Public sector analysis: reviewing the economic impact of precision medicine in oncology.
• Precision Medicine consensus with medical societies and legal framework and background in Argentina.
• Working with PAGs to train nurses in hereditary ovarian cancer management.

The AstraZeneca Experience Lab is located in Wilmington, Delaware, with a companion location under construction in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Both sites house teams of expert Experience Designers, Visual Designers, User Researchers and Experience Strategists who practice human-centred design and design thinking processes to develop solutions to help patients thrive, in spite of the burden of their disease.  

Key initiatives:

• Focusing the portfolio to align with the internal strategy to drive omni-channel and digital health impact in key therapy area and brand teams to ensure patients and HCPs can access the information and experiences they need to successfully treat and manage their disease across any channel.
• Upskilling marketers with applied learning of design thinking and human-centred design processes through working projects to ground patient centricity into their everyday ways of working.
• Shifting the current mindset of marketing from asset creation to designing experiences, employing a test and learn, co-creation, agile methodology. This reinforces the importance of empathy for our patients as we continually ‘enrich and simplify’ experiences that have a positive impact on their families and their lives. This is achieved with collaborative sprints in working projects, solving problems for patients and brand teams simultaneously.

Launched in March 2018, AstraZeneca’s South San Francisco (SSF) site brings together talent at our world-class, modern, amenity-rich working environment located on the Cove at Oyster Point campus, in the heart of the area's vibrant biotech and technology community.

Key initiatives:

• Pioneering innovative research and exploring novel pathways across multiple therapeutic areas, including: oncology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases, respiratory, inflammation, and autoimmunity, as well as infectious diseases and vaccines.
• Contributing to the development of compounds for haematological malignancies.
• Developing unique dual and triple combination products for the treatment of widely prevalent respiratory diseases, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, broadly applying novel particle engineering technology to enable inhaled biologics and new modality applications. 

Launched in March 2021 and with strong support from the Polish government, the Warsaw Innovation Hub is a unique multi-stakeholder platform designed to leverage IT and policy solutions to help patients, improve the healthcare system and address healthcare challenges. The hub aims to catalyse the delivery of healthcare innovation in the country and build resilience and stability in the post-pandemic era.

Key initiatives:

• Kicking off activities with the first crowdsourcing of problems and piloting first solutions.
• Key priorities for 2021 include: developing and implementing digital health solutions to optimise patient treatment and reduce hospitalisation, improving access to innovation for lung cancer patients, and implementing solutions aligned with our Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience.

The Hong Kong-based hub is built on partnerships with the Society for Innovative Healthcare Hong Kong (SIHHK) and Sanomics, a diagnostics company, to support the development of innovative healthcare solutions in Hong Kong, as well as in mainland China.

Key initiatives:

• Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) collaboration: working with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to discover biological pathways implicated in DKD and address unmet treatment needs.
• Partnerships with Belun Technology and Hong Kong Elderly Welfare Foundation: strengthening cross-sector collaboration among medical, innovative technology and social welfare.
• Launch of ‘Incubio’ co-incubation programme with Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP): supporting biomedical tech start-ups engaged in the research and development of integrated oncology solutions. This four-year programme to incubate and nurture start-ups offers coaching, a co-working office/lab space, shared equipment, regulatory support and financial subsidy.
• Partnership with Lippo Healthcare: investing in and developing health innovation and patient-centric solutions in the Greater Bay Area. The cooperation will focus on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and oncology, with the aim to develop solutions to address local healthcare challenges and accelerate innovation.

Launched in 2020, following the signing of an MoU with UK-based innovation partners, Gendius, the hub based in GCC provides access to a wealth of resources and information from partners around the globe. The integration of the region into this comprehensive biomedical ecosystem will help to further local medical capabilities, improving the ability of HCPs and the lives of patients.

Key initiatives:

• AZ EduGATE: a digital network of medical professionals (targeting 17,000 HCPs in GCC in 2021).
• HealthGATE: an app developed and implemented in GCC to provide online consultation and e-prescriptions. It also provides diabetes education and remote support for diagnosis and treatment by connecting patients to a comprehensive network of HCPs, and will support a lung cancer screening and diagnosis project with Qure.AI. In 2021, a new user interface was introduced, incorporating technologies that support HCP practice and enable the connection with the patients.
• GCC Medical Digital Workshop: bootcamp for internal stakeholders, designed to leverage digital capabilities, generate new approaches for the AstraZeneca GCC digital platforms and share best practice across GCC markets.

Developed in partnership with Sunway iLabs, the Malaysia-based hub has been established to support the development of a more robust primary care ecosystem and address the prevalence of NCDs. As the first such innovation hub in this location – combining the resources of a renowned academic establishment and a leading multinational pharma company – the site at Sunway iLabs will provide a strategic platform for facilitating R&D, digital and commercial collaborations with local stakeholders and start-ups, driving domestic innovation.

Key initiatives:

• Digital Health Innovation Challenge: start-ups registered in Malaysia were invited to solve healthcare challenges through new technologies and digital healthcare solutions. Six start-ups were eventually selected to receive access to Sunway iLabs’ state-of-the-art hub as a testbed for their innovative solutions, as well as a connection to resources across Sunway’s ecosystem of 13 business divisions and global partners, and the hubs across the A.Catalyst Network.

Developed in partnership with the region’s leading healthcare organisations and innovators, the Singapore-based hub seeks to utilise AI, big data and genomics technology to uplift the existing healthcare capabilities. With a focus on improving the standard of care available to patients across diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, this hub will play a leading role in the ambition to become a Smart Nation.

Key initiatives:

• Precision Medicine programme: a joint steering committee facilitates efforts related to SG10K genomics and associated research, collaborating with the Centre for Genomics Research to ensure representation of the Asian genome.
• Collaboration with the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS): furthering progress in the field of prostate cancer.
• Digital partnerships: currently looking at new digital partnerships including DTx and AI solutions.

The Australia & New Zealand-based hub was launched in December 2020, as a virtual health open innovation hub. It will drive better patient outcomes and experiences by developing internal innovation capabilities, solving critical patient journey pain points and supporting the vibrant growth of the local healthcare innovation ecosystem.

Key initiatives:

• Australia & New Zealand Patient Experience Lab: physical space established to drive patient centric innovation capabilities, culture and solutions. 
• Lung Patient Journey mapping and disease ecosystem assessment, using design thinking to solve critical pain points.
• Digital health and remote patient care Pitch Fest: identifying patient care solutions in lung cancer and renal care.
• Digital Health Partnership development workshop: internal upskilling programme completed in February 2021 for Commercial, Medical and support function colleagues.
• AUSTRADE Healthcare Bootcamps: completed in 2021 to support local healthcare start-ups to expand in markets including mainland China, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea.