GSK and JAX‑NYSCF launch five‑year alliance to build scalable human Alzheimer’s cell models

GSK and JAX‑NYSCF form five‑year alliance to model Alzheimer’s in human cells

Building scalable, patient-derived cellular platforms to speed translation

GSK announces a strategic, five‑year research collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory–New York Stem Cell Foundation Collaborative (JAX‑NYSCF) to advance human cellular models of neurodegenerative disease, including Alzheimer’s disease. The programme, unveiled on Feb. 17, 2026, aims to close a long‑standing gap between discovery and medicine by combining patient‑derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models, advanced data science and large‑scale laboratory automation. Under the agreement, JAX‑NYSCF provides expanded iPSC model capabilities and access to relevant patient cohorts while GSK contributes expertise in neurodegeneration, translational science, drug discovery, immunology and inflammation to build more predictive preclinical systems.

The collaboration focuses on scalable, disease‑relevant cellular models that capture human biological complexity at scale and on cross‑institutional data integration to accelerate translation into potential new medicines. JAX‑NYSCF, which recently integrated the New York Stem Cell Foundation into The Jackson Laboratory’s discovery platform, supplies automation platforms and infrastructure to support high‑throughput generation and phenotyping of patient‑derived cells. GSK stresses that combining these platforms with its translational capabilities is intended to identify and prioritise promising drug candidates more efficiently and to stratify patients most likely to benefit from targeted interventions.

Leaders on both sides characterise the partnership as a bridge between traditional animal and biochemical models and next‑generation human cellular systems. Lon Cardon, president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory, frames the work as an opportunity to accelerate therapies to patients by leveraging patient‑derived systems, and Chris Austin, GSK’s senior vice president and global head of Research Technologies, highlights the potential for new translational insights from integrated stem cell technology, patient cohort access and automation. The stated goal is to produce disease‑relevant cellular models that the wider scientific community can use to interrogate underlying human biology and speed the path from discovery to clinical testing.

Institutional and industry context

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with an NCI‑designated Cancer Center; its acquisition of NYSCF expands its human stem cell research footprint and automation capacity for collaborative projects.

The collaboration reflects a broader industry push toward human‑relevant models to reduce attrition in neurodegenerative drug development and to improve patient stratification, a priority for companies such as GSK seeking more predictive translational tools.