Introduction and Background of the Project

Introduction

This project is unique in that three Japanese pharmaceutical companies are collaborating with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and its partners, with funding from GHIT Fund, to screen Japanese compound libraries against novel, validated antimalarial biological targets.

Project objective

The objective is to complete screening of approximately 60,000 compounds (20,000 from each company) against two antimalarial targets Plasmodium falciparum CLK3 and Acetyl CoA synthetase, with the goal to deliver validated hits that will form the basis of (GHIT funded) Hit-to-Lead projects and ultimately new candidate drugs as potential treatments for malaria.

Project design

Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai), Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Takeda) and Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd (Daiichi Sankyo) are each providing compounds from their respective company compound collections to MMV who will facilitate the screening of these libraries against two parasite biological targets.

How can your partnership (project) address global health challenges?

There is an urgent need for new medicines for malaria that overcome current and anticipated future resistance risks of drugs on the market or in clinical development.  This project addresses this through a focus on two high value, biologically validated and novel antimalarial drug targets.  As such candidate drugs delivered ultimately from this project are expected to overcome resistance from other antimalarials.

What sort of innovation are you bringing in your project?

This project and project framework brings two new innovations: first the focus on screening against discrete, novel, parasite biological targets with the intent of conducting target based drug discovery to candidate selection, and second, the logistical efficiency that arises from a willingness of three Japanese companies to contribute compound libraries for each of the two screens.  This demonstrates exceptional leadership and collaboration on the part of the Japanese Pharma and a desire to contribute to MMV’s mission to discover, develop and deliver new antimalarials for the world.

Role and Responsibility of Each Partner

Eisai, Takeda and Daiichi Sankyo are each providing approximately 20,000 compounds which will be screened blind by MMV’s screening partners.  MMV and each Japanese company will then confirm the hits and evaluate the potential for new Hit-to-Lead projects.