Epigeneron and Axcelead DDP singed a master collaboration agreement on drug discovery research for novel drug targets

2022.09.01

Epigeneron Inc., (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, President: Tetsuya Mishima, “Epigeneron”) and Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, Inc. (Headquarters: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture, President: Yoshinori Ikeura, “Axcelead DDP”) have entered into a master collaboration agreement on drug discovery research for novel drug targets.

Epigeneron has a new and unique technology to identify novel drug targets that regulate the gene expression closely related to diseases, aiming to make un-druggable target to druggable in drug discovery. Axcelead DDP possesses all the platform functions required for drug discovery research, and has extensive knowledge and track record. Combination with Axcelead DDP’s chemical library of 1.5 million compounds and versatile HTS (High Throughput Screening) technologies will expand the possibilities of the drug discovery for novel targets discovered by Epigeneron and be expected to lead to the creation of breakthrough new medicine against novel drug targets.

Tetsuya Mishima, President and CEO of Epigeneron, said, “We have been in discussions with Axcelead DDP to accelerate the drug discovery research of first-in-class breakthrough medicine for intractable diseases. Our partnership with Axcelead DDP, the first integrated drug discovery solutions provider in Japan, will enable us to conduct seamless research activities by mutually complementing drug discovery capabilities that Epigeneron has not established. I hope to deliver new treatment options to patients as quickly as possible through the collaboration.”

Yoshinori Ikeura, President and CEO of Axcelead DDP, said, “The collaboration with Epigeneron will enables us to advance drug discovery research on undruggable targets that have not been developed to date. We will work together to create new medicines that address unmet medical needs, by using our extensive experience in target validation and rapid and seamless drug discovery research through our screening platform.”

【About Epigeneron】

Epigeneron was founded by Hodaka Fujii, MD, PhD and Toshitsugu Fujita, PhD to translate their innovative inventions, locus-specific ChIP and ORNi-PCR, into the industrial applications such as exploitation and identification of revolutionary drug targets and detection of rare gene sequences in biological specimens. It pioneers revolutionary drug discovery based on epigenetic and other mechanisms of gene expression regulation with its proprietary technologies and accumulated knowledge. Epigeneron is actively promoting business partnerships with companies in the pharmaceutical, diagnostic and other industrial areas enabling them to achieve extensive innovation in drug discovery, diagnostics and other molecular testing.

【About Axcelead DDP】

Axcelead DDP is the first integrated drug discovery solutions provider in the pharmaceutical industry in Japan, having succeeded the drug discovery research capabilities of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and started its business in July, 2017. The company provides integrated services, from discovery of drug targets to optimization of small- and medium-molecule drug candidates, in which the company has particular expertise, and to the process of bridging the gap to clinical development.