AbbVie and Northwestern University have signed a five-year collaboration agreement to advance research and discovery in oncology. AbbVie and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern will work in several areas of oncology research, including, lung, colorectal, breast, prostate and hematological cancer.

The collaboration provides Lurie Cancer Center scientists with the opportunity to access new therapies developed by AbbVie for preclinical research funded under the agreement, as well as AbbVie’s research teams. AbbVie has the option to obtain an exclusive license of certain Lurie Cancer Center discoveries made under the five-year collaboration.

“One of the best steps AbbVie can take to deliver new therapies in oncology is to combine our research and discovery expertise with the talents and insight of our colleagues in academic medicine,” said Gary Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, oncology clinical development, AbbVie. “The opportunity to work with leading researchers and clinicians from the Lurie Cancer Center enhances AbbVie’s ability to help oncology patients even more in the future.”

“The ability to investigate new therapeutic agents with AbbVie provides us with a great opportunity to expand our translational oncology efforts,” said Leonidas C. Platanias, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Lurie Cancer Center. “Our partnership with AbbVie will facilitate and accelerate the development of innovative new therapies against a wide variety of different cancers.”