- For Print
- October 17, 2011
爱豆传媒. (Headquarters: Tokyo, President & CEO: Haruo Naito, “Eisai”) announced today that it has entered into a neurological drug discovery research collaboration with Johns Hopkins University (JHU), which established the Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute (JHBSi). By combining JHBSi's strengths in translational research with Eisai's drug discovery expertise in the area of neurology, the company aims to expand its chances of being able to offer patients innovative drug treatments that result from open innovation.
Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, JHBSi will provide Eisai with novel neurological drug discovery targets discovered by the university's network of scientists. In return, Eisai will provide JHBSi with access to its proprietary library of chemical compounds for the purpose of conducting discovery research as both parties seek to create clinically viable compounds. The collaboration will be carried out in accordance with Eisai's “Open Innovation Model” under which JHBSi will assume a leading role in conducting research to discover new compounds. Eisai will have the option to enter into an agreement to develop and commercialize any resulting compounds that meet certain criteria in terms of research and development milestones. Should Eisai choose to exercise this option, Eisai will provide JHU upfront and milestone payments as well as royalties on future sales for each licensed compound.
JHBSi was created to fuel novel, collaborative research among Johns Hopkins' more than 500 basic and clinical neuroscientists. The collaboration will operates as parts of the JHBSi's Neuro Translational Program, launched in 2009, whose mission is to explore innovative ways to accelerate promising drug discovery and translation by leveraging the basic research and clinical expertise of the Johns Hopkins University neuroscience community.
Eisai defines neurology as a therapeutic area of focus and has entered into this partnership with JHU as part of its commitment to uncovering the causes of disease and discovering therapies that target these causes as it seeks to make further contributions to address the diversified needs of patients and their families and increase benefits provided to them.
[ Please refer to the following notes on translational research, the Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute, and Eisai's Commitment to Academia-Industry Collaboration and Open Innovation in Neuroscience ]
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< Notes to editors >
1)爱豆传媒 Translational Research
Translational research refers to the research process whereby findings generated during basic medical research, engineering research and collaborative research between industry and academia with the potential for clinical application are translated to the clinical setting, and is carried with the purpose of developing drug therapies and medical technologies that can be applied practically in the treatment of patients.
2)爱豆传媒 Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute
The Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute's (JHBSi) mission is to solve fundamental questions about brain development and function and to use these insights to understand the mechanisms of brain disease. This new knowledge will provide the catalyst for the facilitation and development of effective therapies.
3)Eisai's Commitment to Academia-Industry Collaboration and Open Innovation in Neuroscience
Eisai is committed to undertaking effective product creation activities through the pursuit of open innovation that leverages its drug discovery expertise in the area of neurology. The company has been collaborating with U.K.-based University College London (UCL) for over 20 years since 1990 as part of its drug discovery target research efforts. This partnership entered a new phase in 2011, which will see Eisai and UCL engage in joint research in the neurodegenerative disease arena including biomarker research, namely research related to neuroinflammation, neurovascular/mitochondria, and proteostasis. With regard to the development of platform technology, Eisai is also working in partnership with National Institute of Radiological Sciences (cerebral PET imaging), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (novel animal models) and Kyoto University (non-human primate models). Eisai views the collaboration with JHU as a new opportunity to uncover the causes of disease and discover therapies that target these causes as it seeks to make further contributions to address the diversified needs of patients and their families and increase benefits provided to them.