Friday, December 28, 2018
Yissum, the Technology Transfer Company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and KYORIN Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan), a subsidiary of KYORIN Holdings, Inc., which is engaged in the development and commercialization of prescription drugs, announced today a strategic collaboration in the discovery of respiratory drug therapies. Under the collaboration, KYORIN will sponsor a research program led by Prof. Francesca Levi-Schaffer of Hebrew University's Institute of Drug Research in the School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and advance its own drug discovery research with the outcome from the program.
Prof. Levi-Schaffer specializes in the area of immunopharmacology for allergies. Her research focuses on mast cells and eosinophils, the main effector cells in allergic diseases such as asthma and atopic dermatitis. KYORIN focuses on R&D and commercialization of prescription drugs, and respiratory field is positioned as one of its franchises. In the new partnership, KYORIN and Prof. Levi-Schaffer will collaborate and screen for new drugs based on her expertise of allergic inflammation. As such, new potential targets for the suppression of asthma and other related indications will be identified.
For KYORIN, this international network with academic collaboration in research is significant and this opportunity to form cooperative research relationships for first-in- class drugs on various respiratory diseases will enhance our research capabilities for drug seeds discovery.
