Our Science
At UCB, innovation goes into the medicines we discover, develop, and deliver. To achieve this, we work hard at providing the right surroundings and facilities, creating a culture that nurtures and fosters innovation, hiring great people and looking beyond our own boundaries to acquire new knowledge and skills.
Our researchers are continually advancing their understanding of human and disease biology, as well as listening to and learning from patients with severe immune diseases, to gain a deeper appreciation of their reality and needs so they can turn our science into medicines that make a difference.
Our approach to drug discovery builds the basis of UCB’s future, so we continuously monitor disruptive technologies, keep pace with evolving science and expand our therapeutic modality platforms so that our researchers have access to state-of-the-art capabilities, enabling them to pioneer new approaches to drug discovery.
The UK is one of UCB’s three R&D hubs worldwide. We have discovered a total of four new drugs to date, and a further five antibodies were created here to be developed by our colleagues around the world.
Disease Areas
Immunology, bone & joint health
Osteoporosis and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases which are relapsing and remitting in nature, such as psoriasis,1 psoriatic arthritis,2 rheumatoid arthritis3 and axial spondyloarthritis,4 place a huge strain on patients, their families and carers.5-13
By harnessing evidence-based science, we can deliver life-changing treatments and personalised services that address persistent unmet needs across these diseases.
In rheumatology, we are exploring innovative solutions for rheumatological diseases of high future unmet need, including disruptive treatments with immune reset potential. We are also exploring innovative treatment models, such as combination therapies, with the aim of doubling remission rates by 2030.
In immuno-dermatology, our ambition is to bring innovative treatment options to the community and prevent disease progression in people with moderate to severe diseases. We will achieve this by supporting early-stage solutions emerging from our antibody research programme and the potential launch of a completely new therapy in the next decade.
Rare Disease
We’re committed to improving outcomes for rare disease patients by driving a transition from symptom management with our current portfolio, to disease modification with our emerging therapies, to potential cures as we expand into gene therapies.
Our scientists are working to accelerate and focus our efforts in delivering new medicines for people living with rare diseases such as generalised myasthenia gravis, immune thrombocytopenia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and autoimmune epilepsy.
Neurology
UCB is a leader in the field of neurology, and we are inspired to develop new solutions that will help transform the lives of people living with severe neurological disorders.
By 2030, it is our ambition to bring up to ten new highly differentiated solutions to people living with a wide range of neurological disorders, including specific or rare forms of epilepsy, myasthenia gravis, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
We have an increasing focus on creating new solutions that address unmet needs of people living with severe or rare forms of epilepsy, where few options exist. It is our hope that we can develop solutions that could impact the underlying causes of certain epilepsies and potentially lead to a cure.
In Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, we are accelerating the development of disease modifying therapies to support patients to live more fulfilling lives with these life-limiting conditions.
We are also exploring and building our capabilities in gene therapy, with a view to bringing this exciting and promising new therapeutic approach to patients living with neurological conditions that are genetic in origin, including certain epilepsies and Parkinson’s disease.
Clinical Trials
Clinical studies involving healthy volunteers and patients play a vital role in the development of new drugs. These studies are conducted to ensure that all investigational drugs are safe and effective. Over recent years, along with drug discovery, drug development and clinical studies have benefitted from scientific and technological advancements as well as a greater understanding of the needs clinical study participants have.
In our clinical trials, we don’t see patients as just patients. By really listening and engaging with them as partners, we are striving for greater understanding of their needs and continuously looking for ways to improve our research. We are leveraging new technologies and digital platforms to improve patient adherence and experience in a clinical trial and have actively included important patient reported outcomes (PROs) as key endpoints in our trials, so that we can look at the full picture of our treatments and how they impact patients.
We are also driving change in the way clinical trials are delivered to ensure that we are helping to meet the needs of patients. Across our portfolio, we have 10 studies (14% of active studies), of which, 143 of 242 (59%) of study visits are fully remote, providing new and easier ways for patients to participate in clinical studies virtually.
Find out more information about our ongoing clinical trials.
References
1 NHS. Psoriasis – Overview. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/psoriasis/. Last accessed: December 2024.
2 Healthline. Understanding Moderate to Severe Psoriatic Arthritis Flare-Ups. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/understanding-psoriatic-arthritis-flare-ups. Last accessed: December 2024.
3 Arthritis Foundation. Understanding Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares. Available at: https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/more-about/understanding-rheumatoid-arthritis-flares. Last accessed: December 2024.
4 National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society. Your SpAce – Flares. Available at: https://nass.co.uk/about-as/your-space/flares. Last accessed: December 2024.
5 Royal Osteoporosis Society. APPG on Osteoporosis and Bone Health Inquiry Report: How to end the postcode lottery for access to a quality fracture liaison service. Available at: https://strwebprdmedia.blob.core.windows.net/media/31tbj2dt/appg-on-osteoporosis-and-bone-health-fls-inquiry-inquiry-report-2021.pdf. Last accessed: December 2024.
6 Office of the Surgeon General (US). Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): Office of the Surgeon General (US); 2004. 5, The Burden of Bone Disease. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45502/. Last accessed: December 2024.
7 Hepat A, Chakole S, Rannaware A. Psychological Well-Being of Adult Psoriasis Patients: A Narrative Review. Cureus. 2023 Apr 17;15(4):e37702.
8 Frede N, et al. Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Have a Major Impact on Quality of Life and Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study of 300 Patients. Rheumatol Ther. 2023 Dec;10(6):1655-1668.
9 Lwin MN, et al. Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Impact of Mental Health on Disease: A Narrative Review. Rheumatol Ther. 2020 Sep;7(3):457-471.
10 Arthritis Foundation. How Arthritis Affects the Family. Available at: https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/family-relationships/relationships/arthritis-affects-the-family. Last accessed: December 2024.
11 das Chagas Medeiros MM, et al. The effect of rheumatoid arthritis on the quality of life of primary caregivers. J Rheumatol. 2000 Jan;27(1):76-83.
12 Wilson N, et al. Exploring the emotional impact of axial Spondyloarthritis: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative studies and a review of social media. BMC Rheumatol. 2023 Aug 23;7(1):26.
13 Raybone K, Family H, Sengupta R, Jordan A. (Un)Spoken realities of living with axial spondyloarthritis: a qualitative study focused on couple experiences. BMJ Open. 2019 Jul 3;9(7):e025261.
IE-DA-2400177 | December 2024