The Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and Takeda Pharmaceutical formed an alliance to develop new medicines to tackle human gastrointestinal diseases.

Takeda will fund the initiative to enable its scientists along with MIPS researchers to study the mechanisms that underlie these diseases and develop new treatment approaches. The collaboration between Monash University and Takeda will focus on drug discovery, research, and development of pharmaceutical products on potential therapeutic targets.

The three-year program will be led by Nigel Bunnett, deputy director at MIPS and an expert in gastrointestinal diseases and disorders, and Dr. Daniel Poole, Ph.D., also from MIPS. Professor Bunnett said the research program will build on work by MIPS to better understand the causes of disorders of gastrointestinal function and sensation. “A major thrust of the work will be to make use of our expertise in nano-medicine to deliver drugs to the source of disease within the body,” he said.

“Takeda’s gastroenterology (GI) Drug Discovery Unit is a highly specialized research team that works collaboratively with academic and industry partners.  The team is actively seeking to leverage the best scientific and pharmaceutical expertise all over the world,” said Tetsuyuki Maruyama, Ph.D., general manager of the pharmaceutical research division at Takeda. “We are so pleased to work with Professor Bunnett and his team who have a proven track record for collaborative delivery of clinical candidates. Together, we will advance GI research much faster than working alone, ultimately bringer greater benefit to patients sooner.”

Previous articleProgrammable Biomaterials Usher in New Vaccine Era
Next articleBayer, DNDi to Develop Astellas’ Emodepside for River Blindness