September 6, 2019
Conclusion of Joint Research Agreement for the Discovery of Novel Small-Molecule Drugs Targeting Nucleic Acids
Nissan Chemical Corporation (“Nissan Chemical,” Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Kojiro Kinoshita) and Veritas In Silico Inc. (“VIS,” Head Office: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shingo Nakamura) announce the conclusion of a joint research agreement for the discovery of novel small-molecule drugs that target nucleic acids.
Conventionally, drug discovery has been focused on identifying small molecules that target proteins. However, it has become difficult to identify new drug candidates that fulfill medical needs through research that is only an extension of conventional methods. Thus, the new concept of nucleic acid-targeted small-molecule drug discovery has recently attracted considerable attention.
This joint research is expected to enable the discovery of new drug candidates by combining Nissan Chemical’s strategic chemical library*1 and VIS’s platform technologies*2 that include the analysis of nucleic acid structures and small-molecule screening. The two companies will leverage their strengths and aim to provide new treatments for patients suffering from diseases for which there has hitherto been no effective treatment.
*1. A collection of small-molecule compounds that have been synthesized and accumulated strategically by Nissan Chemical.
*2. VIS’s proprietary technologies to identify substructures in nucleic acids that can be targeted by small-molecule drugs and to perform highly-sensitive screening of small molecules.
■About Nissan Chemical Corporation■
Nissan Chemical is moving forward with developing new products and creating new businesses through utilization of our core technologies as a chemical company with our corporate vision of becoming “a corporate group that contributes to human survival and development.” Since our entry into the pharmaceutical business in 1982, we have launched an external preparation of ketoprofen indicated for inflammatory analgesic, efonidipine hydrochloride, a Ca antagonist indicated for hypertension, and pitavastatin calcium, a statin agent indicated for hyperlipidemia. Nissan Chemical keeps trying research and development for innovative medicines by using precise organic synthesis technology, the strategic chemical library and the state-of-the-art evaluation technology for smiles and precious life around the world.
For more details, please visit https://www.nissanchem.co.jp/eng/
■About Veritas In Silico Inc.■
VIS is developing antisense oligonucleotides and small molecules targeting nucleic acids to treat diseases that were previously considered undruggable, based on its proprietary technologies that include the analysis of nucleic acid structures and small-molecule screening.
VIS provides its small-molecule drug discovery platform to its partners, and the platform is currently being used in a joint research with a leading pharmaceutical company. As a drug discovery partner, VIS will continue to pursue its mission of developing nucleic acid-targeted small-molecule drugs to address the unmet medical needs of society.