Release
2020/11/25
OSAKA, Japan. November 25, 2020 - Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Osaka, Japan; President and CEO: Isao Teshirogi, Ph.D.; hereafter "Shionogi") and Nagasaki University (Administrative office: Nagasaki, Japan; President: Shigeru Kohno, M.D.,Ph.D.) have been under research collaboration in the field of infectious diseases focused on malaria from February 2019 (hereafter “Shionogi-Nagasaki”) 1. Shionogi-Nagasaki and The Kitasato Institute (Administrative office: Tokyo, Japan; President: Hirosuke Kobayashi, M.D.,Ph.D.; hereafter “Kitasato”), today announced the conclusion of the strategic research collaboration for the antimalarial drugs.
The Kitasato Institute, founded by the world-renowned pioneer of infectious diseases Dr. Shibasaburo Kitasato, is one of the leading infectious diseases research institute in Japan, as evidenced by the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine being awarded to Distinguished Emeritus Prof. Dr. Satoshi Ōmura. Under this agreement, Kitasato and Shionogi-Nagasaki will collaborate on the research and development of the new antimalarial natural products discovered by Ōmura Satoshi Memorial Institute for the innovative antimalarial drugs.
Shionogi-Nagasaki has also reached the agreement for research collaboration with National Institute of Infectious Diseases, another leading infectious diseases research institute in Japan (Administrative office: Tokyo, Japan; Director-General: Takaji Wakita, M.D.,Ph.D.; hereafter “NIID”), for malaria research since March 2020. Under this collaboration, the NIID’s expertise and technology for malaria infection and its molecular mechanisms are merged with Shionogi-Nagasaki’s discovery research for novel antimalarial drugs and vaccines.
Malaria is one of the world's three major infectious diseases along with AIDS and tuberculosis, and mainly occurs in tropical and subtropical regions. There are approximately more than 200 million malaria cases and 400 thousand deaths every year, and the mortalities are mostly concentrated in children under 52. Because the efficacy of the preventive vaccine is insufficient and the parasites have been developing resistance to the existing treatments, malaria has been a serious threat to mankind globally. The elimination of malaria has been targeted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a guideline for the international societies to achieve.
Shionogi is committed to “Protect people worldwide from the threat of infectious diseases” as our materiality. Shionogi and Nagasaki University together accelerate the research for innovative antimalarial drugs and vaccines by fostering an open innovation platform that merges the strengths of diverse partners for malaria eradication. We will strive to contribute to the global health and sustainable society around the world.
References