Introduction of innovative binder selection technology contributing to the discovery of small molecule drugs.

Naoki Tarui, CEO, SEEDSUPPLY Inc.

SEEDSUPPLY is a spin-out from the Entrepreneurship Venture Program of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. High throughput screening (HTS) has been used in various drug discoveries since the 1990's. Recently, however, the number of tractable targets has decreased. We provide two services: one is a search for chemical compounds for drug candidates to which conventional HTS cannot be applied, and the other is a search for binding proteins with unknown target molecules.
In our services, we use binder selection technology, our proprietary technology applicable not only to soluble proteins but also to various target molecules, such as microsomes and DNA/RNA. When combined with Takeda's library of 400,000 chemical compounds, it can be used for all sorts of screenings. Our services are available either through contract, online, or through joint development. Our aim is to contribute to the research and development of different types of pharmaceutical companies.

[Mentors' comments]
"To be more user-friendly, you should clarify whether users can access Takeda's entire library of 400,000 compounds, and whether you intend to construct your own library." Dong Wu, Johnson & Johnson INNOVATION

[Comment from audience]
"Your presentation should clarify, if we find an interesting compound in Takeda's library, whether or not joint development with the university's project is possible, and if possible, how to handle patenting issues and the likely cost." Masatoshi Hagiwara, Director, Kyoto University Medical Science and Business Liaison Organization (KUMBL)

[Speaker Profile]
He had been engaged in drug discovery for Takeda over the past 20 years. His technological efforts especially for constructing chemical library and for following systematic screening successively identified dozens of drug seeds. One of the candidates, named Takecab, finally launched to the market in 2015.
SEEDSUPPLY Inc. website: http://www.seedsupply.co.jp/

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