Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited announced its TaNeDS (Take a New challenge for Drug diScovery) collaborative drug discovery project for 2016. The company will select research partners for the project from among researchers based in Japan.

As one aspect of open innovation and the development of a competitive pipeline for the rapid and continuous creation of innovative new drugs, the Daiichi Sankyo Group has operated the collaborative research and grant programme TaNeDS since 2011, conducting drug discovery research with domestic academic researchers. In 2013, Daiichi Sankyo’s wholly owned subsidiary, Daiichi Sankyo RD Novare Co., Ltd. (hereafter, RD Novare) joined TaNeDS to help promote the development of technology platforms for the next generation, and from 2016, Daiichi Sankyo’s wholly owned subsidiary, Asubio Pharma Co., Ltd. (hereafter, Asubio Pharma) will also participate in these measures to promote greater drug discovery.

Since 2013, Daiichi Sankyo has sought further drug discovery research possibilities by casting a wide net, even overseas, to find research themes and technologies that will result in the discovery of new drugs.

The TaNeDS project will accept entries for a range of themes, including exploratory research, collaborative research, early-stage drug discovery and concepts for inventions. Themes covering all stages, from the initial phase of research to practical use, will be accepted. In order to attract a variety of entries, both individual researchers and groups will be welcomed.

To efficiently realize practical uses from research results, a number of outcomes are foreseen, including further investigations into discovered results, collaborative research on drug creation, and utilization of OiDE projects aimed at fostering intellectual property or technologies from a business viewpoint.

Open innovation projects funded by the OiDE fund (Open innovation for the Development of Emerging technologies, which is managed by Mitsubishi UFJ Capital), and were started by Daiichi Sankyo and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital in 2013.

Four project types have been set up for 2016. Project duration subject to change based on research.

Drug discovery target verification – Research themes that will lead to the verification of new drug targets regarding elements found in exploratory/discovery research through methods including analysis of body functions and of pathology samples will be accepted.

Drug discovery target investigation – Research themes that will lead to the discovery/identification of new drug targets based on unique research tools or ideas will be accepted.

Drug discovery technology development/verification – Research technology themes that help to revitalize or improve effectiveness of drug discovery research will be accepted.

Pharmaceutical technology – Research themes that will solve issues related to the pharmaceutical manufacturing process will be accepted.

Daiichi Sankyo or its affiliates (RD Novare or Asubio Pharma) will determine if feasibility studies (preliminary collaborative research or collaborative research) with Daiichi Sankyo researchers, or its affiliate’s researchers should be conducted based on proposed themes. Accepted themes will be selected for continuation based on results after the research period comes to a close.