Division of Pharmaceutical Research and Development Project Focused on Developing Key Technology for Discovering and Manufacturing Drugs for Next-Generation Treatment and Diagnosis

This program aims to improve the quality of life of patients, and suppresses medical expense increases by solving the issues of next-generation treatment and diagnosis, and promoting their realization, such as the utilization of preemptive medicine and personalized medicine. Towards this end, the program addresses the following projects;

Project 1: Development of production technology for useful next-generation-type natural products

This project develops technology that produces stable and efficient production of natural compounds with complicated structures, which can be developed into pharmaceutical drugs but difficult to use, by maximizing the use of Japan's strength in microbial libraries and natural chemical technology.

Project 2: Development of core technologies for innovative drug development based upon IT

This project develops technology to analyze the dynamic interaction of drug discovery targets and drug candidate molecules, which are important for drug design under physiological conditions that had been challenging. It also develops innovative IT technology for drug discovery that efficiently simulates the dynamic interaction of drug discovery targets and drug candidate molecules.

Project 1: Next-generation biologics manufacturing conforming to global standards

This project develops advanced and highly efficient manufacturing technologies to manufacture complicated and multifunctional next-generation-biologics, such as therapeutic antibodies, conforming to global standards. This project is being undertaken by a technology research association, which consists of Japanese companies, universities and public research institutions involved in biologics manufacturing. New technology to manufacture next-generation-biologics developed through the project are evaluated for their practicality at a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility in Kobe, which is supposed to be a mother plant (technical development center) for biologics manufacturing in Japan.

Project 2: Development of fundamental technologies for efficient construction of high material producible hosts

This project aims at development of the technologies essential for manufacturing next-generation biological medicine. The technologies include, design of optimal gene sequence, synthesis of accurate gene clusters, introduction of genes into hosts, and confirmation of productivity. This project also develops automated devices for preparing long-chain DNA rapidly and accurately based on a unique DNA assembly method.

This project develops a next-generation diagnostic system, which enables the identification of cancer and dementia that were unidentifiable by conventional diagnostic methods, with a single blood draw, by combining characteristic microRNAs of 13 types of cancer and dementia, respectively.

Project for utilizing glycans in the development of innovative drug discovery technologies

This project aims to develop the discovery technologies for innovative drugs by establishing internationally competitive basic research of glycans in Japan, which is at the top level worldwide, with support by gathering and combining them toward the direction of exploratory research for drug target discovery.

Study research for the construction of ecosystems concerning practical applications of drug discovery technology seeds

This project bridges academia and venture-derived innovative technology seeds for drug companies, etc., to promote the development of innovative drugs ahead of the world. For this purpose, this project clarifies problems of data packages of academia-derived technical seeds that have not resulted in practical applications, despite promising research results. It also facilitates the acquisition the missing data, completes data packages and verifies whether it can accelerate bridging seeds of technology to drug companies.

PS (Program Supervisor)

• Hiroshi Kato, M.D., Ph.D., Emeritus professor, Yamaguchi University

PO (Program Officer)

• Hiroshi Kato, M.D., Ph.D., Emeritus professor, Yamaguchi University