KAN Research Institute, Inc.,(KRI) a research and development subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd.,  has commenced full-scale operation of its research and development activities at its new research facility in Kobe, Hyogo.

KRI is a research group that aims to discover and develop new drugs based on novel therapeutic concepts as a unit of Eisai Product Creation Systems. Specifically, KRI is dedicated to conducting discovery research based on the concept of “Integrative Cell Biology for Medicine” in its three areas of therapeutic focus-refractory immune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer relapse and metastasis, and aims to discover and develop biologic therapies such as antibodies. Having received official approval from the city of Kobe to take part in a special international strategic development project being implemented within the Kansai International Strategic Innovation Zone, KRI has taken this opportunity to relocate to a new research facility within the Zone in order to strengthen its research capabilities and increase the scale of its research.

The new research facility, located within the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, has a total floor space of approximately 12,000m2, or roughly five times that of its previous premises, with the capacity to house around 100 researchers, more than twice the present number. With the laboratory specifications allowing for the future installation of an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) production facility and collaborative lab spaces for external academic and medical researchers, the new research facility has strengthened KRI's antibody research capability while further promoting its open innovation initiatives with external partnerships, one of the core strategies of KRI. These key features of the KRI's new research facility will also contribute to the acceleration of the product creation activities of Eisai as a whole, incorporating state-of-the-art technologies such as those using antibodies and iPS cells into its research. Furthermore, the facility is designed to support business contingency plans in case of a crisis, as it is built using seismic isolation construction methods and is equipped with an emergency electricity generator that can run for up to 72 hours.

With the commencement of full-scale operation at KRI's new facility, Eisai will continue to leverage the advantages established within the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster, one of Japan's largest bioclusters, and partnerships with academic and medical researchers, thereby making further efforts to create new innovative products that increase benefits to patients.

KAN Research Institute, Inc. is a 100 per cent wholly owned research and development subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. It is a research group that aims to discover and develop new drugs based on novel therapeutic concepts within Eisai's research and development system called Eisai Product Creation Systems.