Eisai Opens New Research Facility In Japan
Eisai announced that KAN Research Institute (KRI), its subsidiary for research and development, held a dedication ceremony celebrating the opening of its new Kobe-based facility in Japan.
The new research facility, which has officially begun its research and development activities, is located inside the Kobe Biomedical Innovation Cluster. With floor space roughly five times larger than its previous locations, the new building has the capacity to house approximately 100 researchers. This is more than twice what the company maintains at present.
The format of the new laboratory will permit the future installation of an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) production facility as well as provide collaborative spaces for external academic and medical researchers. The new building is expected to improve KRI’s antibody research capability and boost open innovation initiatives with partners.
The KAN Research Institute conducts discovery research using the “Integrative Cell Biology for Medicine” concept across its three areas of therapeutic focus: refractory immune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer relapse and metastasis, for which the company develops biologics such as antibodies. The company recently successfully brought the in-house developed E6011 antibody into clinical development as an investigational treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
KRI’s new research facility will help speed the drug discovery and development process of Eisai as a whole. In addition to its research functions, including antibodies and iPS cells, the facility is built to support business contingency plans in events of a crisis. The building is constructed using seismic isolation construction methods and is furnished with a backup emergency electricity generator that can operate for up to 3 days.
Part of the “Kansai International Strategic Innovation Zone”, the Hyogo prefecture (where the new facility is located) is working in collaboration with Kyoto and Osaka prefectures to operate under the Comprehensive Special Zone Program. This program aims to build a structure that promotes solution-oriented businesses and market expansion initiatives capable of addressing relevant healthcare and medicinal challenges, among others.