Axcelead Drug Discovery Partners, Inc. (HQ: Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan; known as “Axcelead DDP”) declared on September 10 that Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. and it had signed a Master Service Agreement. (HQ: San Diego, CA, USA; referred to as “Acadia”), to support their goal of discovering and developing innovative new drugs to address medical needs.
Since October 2022, Axcelead DDP has been involved in several neuroscience-related drug discovery projects aimed at identifying candidate compounds. Through the Master Service Agreement, Axcelead DDP will provide more efficient and comprehensive support for some of Acadia’s new drug discovery projects. By leveraging its integrated drug discovery platform, deep knowledge, and extensive experience in drug discovery research, Axcelead DDP will assist Acadia in generating high-quality candidate compounds.
Under the executed MSA, a new drug discovery project has already been launched simultaneously. As with previous projects, Axcelead DDP will receive an upfront fee, research funding, and milestone payments. The financial terms of the Master Service Agreement and the new project have not been disclosed.
Kengo Okada, PhD, Representative Director and CEO of Axcelead DDP, said, “We are pleased to announce the launch of a new drug discovery project and the signing of the Master Service Agreement to support Acadia’s efforts in drug discovery research. Our strong progress to date has led to the execution of this agreement.” He added, “We look forward to working with Acadia to expand their drug pipeline, with the aim of providing patients with CNS disorders and other diseases with innovative medicines as quickly as feasible.”
Axcelead DDP is Japan’s first drug discovery solution provider, founded in July 2017, by inheriting the drug discovery platform from Takeda Pharmaceutical. Screening, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology/biology, DMPK, and safety research functions are integrated into a state-of-the-art research base along with an original compound library. By incorporating the most advanced AI capabilities into its service, Axcelead DDP aims to quickly generate high-quality drug candidates. By leveraging these strengths, Axcelead DDP provides solutions to various challenges encountered in the drug discovery process, from exploratory research to clinical development.