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Drug delivery systems that penetrate the blood-brain barrier
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Get them answered by the team at Daiichi Sankyo.
Background

In neurodegenerative diseases (ND), misfolded protein aggregates accumulate in the brain and/or spinal cord; for example, Aβ and tau in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease (PD), and TDP-43 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These aggregated proteins are believed to exert their toxicity to host cells including neuron, microglia and astrocyte. Given the hypothesis, a myriad of potential therapeutics including anti-Aβ antibody have been studied. However, most of the attempts have ended up with failure in the past. It’s commonly believed that one of the main obstacles in ND therapeutics development is the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a physiological insulation machinery of the central nervous system (CNS) vascular system.  

 

To overcome the difficulty, there is a need for technology that penetrates the BBB to efficiently deliver drugs to the CNS. In recent years, researchers have developed some methodologies which confer drugs the potential to penetrate the BBB, such as an antibody against the transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1). For instance, some reports suggest that the antibody shows a potential to pass through the BBB and work as a drug delivery vehicle. 

 

Such cutting-edge technology is thought to enable the development of novel therapeutics which were not possible due to technical difficulties in the past. As such, many players in the pharmaceutical industry have been trying to apply this technology to develop novel pharmaceutical therapies. However, these technologies are still immature and require significant improvements for clinical implementation in terms of drug delivery efficiency and pharmacokinetics.

What we're looking for

We are seeking innovative and robust drug delivery systems (DDS) which confer the potential to penetrate the BBB for the therapeutics of our interest, particularly, but not limited to, oligonucleotides. The ideal technology should offer a strong advantage over current CNS drug delivery systems in efficacy and pharmacokinetics, especially if targeting common molecules like TfR1 and CD98.

Solutions of interest include:
  • Any transport vehicle which can deliver therapeutics including oligonucleotides to CNS, such as antibody, peptide, lipid particle, aptamer and small molecule
Our must-have requirements are:
  • Reason to believe or validation of ability to deliver oligonucleotides to CNS in a non-human primate (NHP) model
  • Ability to secure intellectual property or appropriate right of use which can be transferred to our end under mutual agreement
Our nice-to-have's are:
  • Unique/novel CNS-DDS target (other than TfR1 and CD98)
  • CNS-directional technology (less distribution to peripheral tissues)
  • Technologies which confer cell type specificity (neuron, microglia, astrocyte and oligodendrocyte)
  • Capability to run NHP models to validate CNS drug delivery
  • DDS preparation protocol available for validation studies at our facility
What's out of scope:
  • Technologies which depend on invasive methodologies such as intrathecal and intracerebroventricular administration
  • Technologies without any noteworthy advantages over competitors, such as TfR-1 and CD98 antibodies
  • Expression vector-based technology such as artificially modified viruses (e.g., adeno-associated virus, etc.)
Acceptable technology readiness levels (TRL):
Levels 1-5
What we can offer you
Eligible partnership models:
Sponsored research
Co-development
Licensing
Material transfer
Equity investment
Benefits:
Sponsored Research
Funding is proposal dependent, with up to $150K for a 12-month project with potential follow-on funding for 1 year.
Who we are

At Daiichi Sankyo, we attach significant importance to working with academic institutions, startups and bioventure companies to discover new therapeutics in the place where hypotheses are brought and tested in order to expand possibilities for scientific innovation breakthrough. We build sustainable relationships with partner institutions and companies through open and fair alliance management and trust based on mutual respect as the foundation for effective collaborations. Our goal is to jointly create new value for patients by maximizing each other’s expertise and strengths.

https://www.daiichisankyo.com/rd/strategy_operations/open_innovation/

 Learn more
Reviewers
MN
Masatoshi Nagamochi
Associate Director
MK
Mikio Kato
senior director
MH
Masakazu Hirouchi
Associate director
MA
Manabu Abe
Director
Q&A with Daiichi Sankyo

Ask the team at Daiichi Sankyo any questions you have about this RFP.

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Most upvoted
Q.
Hi, is bio-derived nanoparticle as a drug delivery vehicle a fit to this call? Thank you!
3
A.
Thank you for asking. I think your proposal would fit to our wish if the technology is scalable and manufacturing friendly, addition to high BBB penetration rate.
MA
Manabu Abe, Director, Daiichi Sankyo
November 21, 2024
Is this response helpful?
1
0
Q.
Overhead Expenses: Could you clarify if documentation is required to substantiate these costs? If so, what specific information or evidence should be provided to validate them?
RC
Reynaldo De La Cruz, Research Development, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
December 4, 2024
2
A.
Thank you for the question. Yes, it would be necessary to have a certain level of the accountability for the costs, but we would like to first discuss scientific matters, and then address budget-related issues once we have a clearer view on the contracts. Thank you very much for your understanding.
MH
Masakazu Hirouchi, Associate director, Daiichi Sankyo
December 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Are receptors such as ICAM-1 and EPCR of potential interest as BBB drug delivery targets?
1
A.
Thank you for the inquiry. Molecules you proposed haven't been addressed in our internal program yet, so we'll be intrigued if these molecules can show outstanding potency as BBB- penetrating DDS targets.
MA
Manabu Abe, Director, Daiichi Sankyo
December 2, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Has your team/company evaluated nanobubbles as a drug delivery system in this tyhpe of Use Case?
1
A.
Thank you for asking. Actually, we have already evaluated nanobubble as a potential CNS delivery technology, then we concluded that the technology was out of our focus.
MA
Manabu Abe, Director, Daiichi Sankyo
November 13, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Accountability Requirements: Could you kindly confirm whether accountability is mandatory and specify the level of detail expected?
RC
Reynaldo De La Cruz, Research Development, Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
December 4, 2024
1
A.
Thank you for the question. Yes, it would be necessary to have a certain level of the accountability for the costs, but we would like to first discuss scientific matters, and then address budget-related issues once we have a clearer view on the contracts. Thank you very much for your understanding.
MH
Masakazu Hirouchi, Associate director, Daiichi Sankyo
December 12, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Are there any budget limitations/unallowable expenses for this opportunity? Is there a limit to overhead/indirect costs requested by institutions of higher education? Thank you!
SH
Stephanie Herzog, Research Development, University of Tennessee
December 5, 2024
1
A.
Thank you for the question. We would like to first discuss scientific matters, and then address budget-related issues once we have a clearer outlook on the contract.
MH
Masakazu Hirouchi, Associate director, Daiichi Sankyo
December 10, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Hi, We have a patent-pending technology that is closely related to this initiative. https://patents.google.com/patent/US20230159935A1/en?oq=US-2023-0159935 Would you be interested in learning more about the technology?
MY
Mingder Yang, Tech Transfer, University of Florida
December 18, 2024
1
A.
Hello. Thank you for sharing the patent info. I would be grateful if you provide us with in vivo PK data, I would say, aptamer concentration in brain which is not converted to fluorescence intensity. Such information will help us understand potential of your proprietary technology.
MA
Manabu Abe, Director, Daiichi Sankyo
December 19, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Would polymeric nanoparticles designed for BBB-penetrating delivery of small molecule drugs with cell-type specific targeting (e.g, microglia) align with the scope of this RFA?
1
A.
Thank you for asking. We'll be greatly interested if your technology can extend to mid to large molecule delivery such as oligonucleotides and peptides, not limited to small molecules. Cell-type specificity is indeed our focus, therefore microglia-targeting is very intriguing.
MA
Manabu Abe, Director, Daiichi Sankyo
December 18, 2024
Is this response helpful?
0
0
Q.
Has your company already evaluated Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) for such applications?
1
A.
Thank you for the inquiry. We haven't evaluated MOFs for any applications yet.
MA
Manabu Abe, Director, Daiichi Sankyo
November 25, 2024
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0
0
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