MedImmune, NIST announce five-year partnership for biological drug research

Gaithersburg-based biotech MedImmune and the National Institute of Standards and Technology unveiled Friday a five-year joint agreement to research tools to develop new drugs or therapies, or make existing therapies more effective. The project is focused on biopharmaceuticals — drugs and treatments derived from biological, rather than chemical, sources.

MedImmune is the biologics research and development arm of U.K. pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN). Under the agreement, MedImmune will…