Today, it was announced that Ono has initiated a comprehensive collaboration for drug discovery with the University of Oxford in Oxfordshire, UK. This collaboration aims to explore and validate drug discovery seeds, as well as to obtain screening compounds to advance the development of innovative medicines.
Within this collaboration, Ono will carefully select drug discovery seeds from Oxford’s portfolio that align with its research priorities, with a particular focus on neuroscience, one of Ono’s key research areas. Oxford will then conduct validation tests and compound screening for these selected seeds.
Oxford, renowned as one of the world’s top universities, boasts the Centre for Medicines Discovery, which specializes in drug discovery. Leveraging the expertise of its researchers, the university possesses robust research infrastructure and capabilities to identify unique drug discovery seeds and hit compounds, especially for challenging target groups.
Through this partnership, Ono aims to develop and commercialize new drug candidates based on the compounds obtained from Oxford, including hit compounds. Ono will have the exclusive option rights for the worldwide development and commercialization of these candidates.
Ono, committed to open innovation, has a track record of generating innovative medicines in areas such as cancer, immunology, neurology, and specialty fields. By continuing to foster open innovation, Ono strives to become a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company.
Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director of Discovery & Research at Ono, expressed optimism about the collaboration, highlighting the potential for new treatment development. Similarly, John Davis, Professor of Pharmaceutical Discovery at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Medicines Discovery, emphasized the strategic importance of combining academic research with industry insights to address unmet medical needs effectively.
