On November 16, 2023 University of Tsukuba (President: Kyosuke Nagata) and Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Naoki Okamura, "Astellas") reported that they have signed a letter of confirmation regarding a strategic partnership to accelerate the digitalization of the drug discovery research field, as well as the development of the life science ecosystem in Tsukuba and Kashiwa-no-ha, and to further accelerate innovative drug discovery research and development (Press release, Astellas, NOV 16, 2023, View Source [SID1234637732]).

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Under this agreement, the two parties will exchange information on and discuss:
Promotion of drug discovery and other research, and creation of new startups through industry-academia collaboration between the two parties
Utilization of cutting-edge research equipment, drug discovery-related data and research seeds mutually owned by the two parties
Implementation of discussions and seminars to accelerate and develop collaborative research already conducted by the two parties
Promotion of drug discovery research and creation of new startups through exchange and communication with third-party venture company innovators in residence at SakuLabTM-Tsukuba*1
Based on this agreement, the University of Tsukuba will establish an office in Astellas’ SakuLabTM-Tsukuba for the Tsukuba Digital-Bio International Center*2, where they are participating as a lead organization. The center will provide an environment where researchers from different fields including researchers specializing in medicine, biotechnology, and the AI/digital analytics field from the University of Tsukuba and Astellas’ researchers specializing in drug discovery can discuss freely and energetically, aiming to create a place for innovative and active co-creative research through the fusion of different fields.

Hiroyuki Nishiyama, M.D., Ph.D., Leader of Tsukuba Digital-Bio International Center
"In western drug discovery ecosystems, researchers and innovators have quick and easy access to cutting-edge research results and trends in their fields of expertise. Japanese pharmaceutical companies tend to look there because they can’t obtain enough information in Japanese drug discovery ecosystems. Against this background, we have been discussing with Astellas for the past one and a half years to change the conventional frame of reference. I believe that we can flexibly and speedily formulate new joint research themes not limited to specific fields and execute efficient research by sharing our research information (seeds) and areas of research interest at Astellas. We will work to build a drug discovery ecosystem in Japan that will enable start-ups to be implemented in society. We hope that this initiative will be one opportunity to overcome the barrier known as the "valley of death" that exists when translating academia research results into social implementations."

Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer (CScO) of Astellas
"We are very pleased to confirm this strategic partnership with the University of Tsukuba, the flagship university of Tsukuba Science City. We believe our scope of knowledge and experience in drug research, and our global network will pair well with the University of Tsukuba’s outstanding expertise in medicine, biotechnology, and the AI/digital field. Together we aim for further growth in the life science ecosystem in Tsukuba and the Kashiwa-no-ha areas, with SakuLabTM-Tsukuba as a starting point for innovation. We envision the collaboration will enable visionary ideas and specialized knowledge to converge, turbocharging the development of pioneering healthcare solutions."

Astellas has already reflected the impact from this agreement in its financial forecast of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.