Sector News

Takeda spins off cancer assets to incubated startup

November 22, 2017
Life sciences

A team of ex-Takeda scientists has struck out on its own with cancer assets licensed from the drugmaker. The resulting biotech, Chordia Therapeutics, starts life with multiple oncology drugs, lab space at a Takeda site and funding from the Japanese firm and a VC syndicate.

Chordia’s programs include preclinical CDC-like kinase (CLK) inhibitors with applications in cancer and an adult T cell leukemia lymphoma drug. The assets were working their way down Takeda’s pipeline. But with the company rethinking its R&D strategy, a team of six ex-Takeda scientists, including the former head of oncology drug discovery at its Shonan site, has been able to pick up the programs and the means to develop them further.

Takeda is providing support on every front. Chordia has lab space at Takeda’s Shonan site, which is undergoing a transformation into a startup incubator, and funding from its parent company. Kyoto University Innovation Capital, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and SMBC Venture Capital contributed to Chordia’s series A, too.

Chordia has also enlisted the support of Kyoto University’s Seishi Ogawa, who will use his work on splicing factor mutations in cancer to help the startup develop CLK inhibitors that kill tumor cells.

Takeda referred briefly to Chordia in its second-quarter results earlier this month, naming it as one of three companies founded through its entrepreneurship venture program. The drugmaker unveiled the others, discovery services shops ChromaJean and Seedsupply, in press releases earlier this year.

The emergence of the three startups comes shortly after Takeda spun out another drug discovery service shop, Axcelead. Each company is the result of Takeda’s decision to turn its research center in Shonan, Japan, into a startup incubator. The site is also hosting and supporting other Takeda spinoffs and joint ventures, such as Cardurion, Scohia Pharma and T-Cira.

Takeda’s burst of startup creation activity took place on either side of its 2016 decision to restructure its R&D operation. The headline actions in the restructuring were the refocusing of the operation around four franchises—oncology, gastroenterology, the central nervous system and vaccines—and two geographies, the U.S. and Japan. But the rethink has also led Takeda to conclude some assets are best served by startups, even if they fall within its areas of focus.

By Nick Paul Taylor

Source: Fierce Biotech

comments closed

Related News

June 3, 2023

Sanofi’s frexalimab shows early potential in in Phase II multiple sclerosis trial

Life sciences

In 2017, Sanofi partnered with the Lebanon, New Hampshire-based ImmuNext to develop an antibody for autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis, which included giving Sanofi a worldwide license to develop frexalimab. The agreement involved milestone payments upto $500 million.

June 3, 2023

Lonza to acquire Synaffix to strengthen ADC development

Life sciences

Global manufacturer for the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical markets, Lonza has announced that it has acquired Synaffix, a biotech company focused on the commercialisation of its clinical stage technology platform for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

June 3, 2023

BD taps Novartis, GSK alum Laura Boros to lead drug delivery device business

Life sciences

In its hunt for the new head of its pharmaceutical systems business—which makes syringes, self-injection systems and other drug delivery devices for 70% of the top 100 drugmakers in the world, according to the company—BD landed on a candidate with plenty of experience among that customer group.

How can we help you?

We're easy to reach