The University of Tsukuba and Astellas Pharma announced that they have signed a letter of confirmation regarding a strategic partnership to accelerate the digitalization of the drug discovery research field, as well as the development of the life science ecosystem in Tsukuba and Kashiwa-no-ha, and to further accelerate innovative drug discovery research and development.
Hiroyuki Nishiyama, M.D., Ph.D., Leader of Tsukuba Digital-Bio International Center:
“In western drug discovery ecosystems, researchers and innovators have quick and easy access to cutting-edge research results and trends in their fields of expertise. Japanese pharmaceutical companies tend to look there because they can’t obtain enough information in Japanese drug discovery ecosystems. Against this background, we have been discussing with Astellas for the past one and a half years to change the conventional frame of reference. I believe that we can flexibly and speedily formulate new joint research themes not limited to specific fields and execute efficient research by sharing our research information (seeds) and areas of research interest at Astellas. We will work to build a drug discovery ecosystem in Japan that will enable start-ups to be implemented in society. We hope that this initiative will be one opportunity to overcome the barrier known as the “valley of death” that exists when translating academia research results into social implementations.”
Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Astellas:
“We are very pleased to confirm this strategic partnership with the University of Tsukuba, the flagship university of Tsukuba Science City. We believe our scope of knowledge and experience in drug research, and our global network will pair well with the University of Tsukuba’s outstanding expertise in medicine, biotechnology, and the AI/digital field. Together we aim for further growth in the life science ecosystem in Tsukuba and the Kashiwa-no-ha areas, with SakuLab™-Tsukuba as a starting point for innovation. We envision the collaboration will enable visionary ideas and specialized knowledge to converge, turbocharging the development of pioneering healthcare solutions.
