Kanagawa, Japan, April 1, 2024 — Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, Inc (hereafter Axcelead DDP) announced that the following change in its Representative Director at the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders held on March 28 and the Extraordinary Board of Directors Meeting held today.

1. Details of Changes in Positions (as of April 1, 2024)

2. Reason for change

This is due to the resignation of Nobuhiko Yamada, Representative Director, President and CEO, on March 31, 2024, from his position for personal reasons.

3. Brief history of the new CEO

Kengo Okada is currently, and has been since April 2024, the Representative Director, President and CEO at Axcelead DDP and Representative Director at Axcelead Tokyo West Partners, Inc. He joined Axcelead DDP in 2017, and had been taking on responsibilities for business plan development and overall business management. He previously worked at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company from 2004 as a Senior Research Scientist at the Pharmaceutical Research Division. Held various roles including a business assignment in San Diego, Global Project Leader, and eventually moved into management of the drug discovery platform division within the research organization. Worked as an assistant professor at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology after a position as a doctoral researcher in Sweden. Earned a PhD from the Graduate School of Science at Osaka City University in 1997.

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