ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - May 21, 2014) - Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. (Daiichi Sankyo) today announced they have entered into a three-year comprehensive alliance to develop first-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cardiovascular-metabolic diseases. The collaboration is built on an open-innovation model to bridge the gap between target discovery and pre-clinical drug development.
This collaboration focuses on identifying, validating, and screening novel drug targets, and studying new mechanisms of disease. The Sanford-Burnham team will identify and validate targets in collaboration with Cardiovascular-Metabolics Research Laboratories at Daiichi Sankyo. After the validation of the targets, collaboration teams will conduct drug screening to identify compounds that modulate the targets using facilities at both sites.
“The partnership will focus on the broad area of cardiovascular-metabolic diseases, which is a primary research area for Sanford-Burnham as well as a critical unmet medical need worldwide,” said Dwight Towler, M.D., Ph.D., professor and director of the Cardiovascular Pathobiology Program at Sanford-Burnham. “Strategic partnerships such as this one serve as a key component of our Institute’s 10-year vision to translate basic research discoveries into innovative therapies more quickly. Today’s announcement represents another milestone for Sanford-Burnham as we connect our expertise in both basic research and drug discovery technology with pharmaceutical partners to implement this patient-oriented initiative.”
“This is a unique and innovative early-stage drug discovery collaboration,” said Dr. Masahiko Ohtsuki, Corporate Officer and Global Head of Research, Daiichi Sankyo. “The cardiovascular-metabolic area is a key priority for Daiichi Sankyo and we have found a strong, strategic partner in Sanford-Burnham. I am excited about this collaboration and look forward to seeing results of this partnership.”
About Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute is dedicated to discovering the fundamental molecular causes of disease and devising the innovative therapies of tomorrow. Sanford-Burnham takes a collaborative approach to medical research with major programs in cancer, neurodegeneration and stem cells, diabetes, cardiovascular, infectious, inflammatory, and childhood diseases. The Institute is recognized for its National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and expertise in drug discovery technologies. Sanford-Burnham is a nonprofit, independent institute that employs 1,200 scientists and staff in San Diego (La Jolla), Calif., and Orlando (Lake Nona), Fla. For more information, visit us at sanfordburnham.org.
About Daiichi Sankyo
Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address the diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. While maintaining its portfolio of marketed pharmaceuticals for hypertension, hyperlipidemia and bacterial infections, the Group is engaged in the development of treatments for thrombotic disorders and focused on the discovery of novel oncology and cardiovascular-metabolic therapies. Furthermore, the Daiichi Sankyo Group has created a “Hybrid Business Model,” which will respond to market and customer diversity and optimize growth opportunities across the value chain. For more information, please visit: www.daiichisankyo.com.
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