University to mark collaboration with Japanese pharma company

Published On Tue 9 Feb 2016 by Grant Hill

A Japanese delegation will tomorrow visit the University of Dundee to initiate a partnership seeking to develop new treatments for inflammatory diseases.

Scientists and executives from Ono, Japan’s oldest pharmaceutical company, will meet with leading researchers from the University’s School of Life Sciences to mark the start of the collaboration, which will see the Dundee team help Ono to launch a new drug discovery project.

Ono are seeking to develop a new therapy for common inflammatory diseases based on scientific discoveries made in Dundee.

Professor Sir Philip Cohen, of the School of Life Sciences, said, “We are delighted to welcome Ono to Dundee to mark the beginning of a partnership which once more demonstrates the reputation of the University as one of the world’s foremost centres for scientific excellence.

“Ono are the longest-standing pharma company in Japan and we are delighted to be working with a partner with such a proud history in drug discovery. International collaboration is the key to overcoming the world’s biggest health and wellbeing challenges and both parties are at the forefront of this global fight.”

“We have the highest regard for the expertise and research activities at University of Dundee and highly anticipate the collaboration will result in identifying a novel drug having high potential,” said Dr Kazuhito Kawabata, a member of the board of directors, executive officer and executive director of Discovery and Research at Ono.

Based in Osaka, the Ono Pharmaceutical Group can trace its history back 300 years and its research and development-focused approach sees them follow drug discovery leads that are high in certainty and globally competitive.

Notes to editors:

The University of Dundee is the top ranked University in the UK for biological sciences, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework.

Dundee is internationally recognised for the quality of its teaching and research and has a core mission to transform lives across society. More than 17,000 students are enrolled at Dundee, helping make the city Scotland’s most student-friendly.

The University is the central hub for a multi-million pound biotechnology sector in the east of Scotland, which now accounts for 16% of the local economy. www.dundee.ac.uk

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