Takeda partners with newly-formed Tri-1 TDI

The USA’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medical College have formed the pioneering Tri-Institutional Therapeutics Discovery Institute (Tri-I TDI) and have partnered with Takeda Pharmaceutical (TYO: 4502), Japan’s largest drug company.

This new, groundbreaking institute, designed to expedite early-stage drug discovery into innovative treatments and therapies for patients, was founded with a $15 million gift by Lewis and Ali Sanders and a $5 million gift from Howard and Abby Milstein.

The Tri-I TDI represents a novel partnership of academic institutions working together to more effectively develop therapeutics that arise from discoveries made in basic science labs. Its focus is on the early stages of developing compounds that make possible all-important “proof of concept” studies – those that increase the likelihood that targeting a specific biologic pathway can favorably alter the course of a disease.

Furthermore, the institute’s partnership with Takeda, a global research-based pharmaceutical company with a strong record of bringing new medicines to market, will benefit drug discovery work at all three institutions.

Will enhance ability of basic science labs

“This institute will greatly enhance the ability of basic science labs at the three institutions to translate their discoveries into new medicines,” said Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president of The Rockefeller University, adding: “This exciting collaboration between academic institutions will also serve as a link between institutional researchers and industry experts in medicinal chemistry, compound screening and drug development. It’s a partnership that will help lower barriers in the drug discovery process and ultimately lead to new therapies for some of our most difficult and deadly diseases.”

“This unique research collaboration will promote greater efficiency in translating our best ideas about the development of new drugs into treatments for a variety of diseases, including cancer,” said Memorial Sloan-Kettering president and chief executive Craig Thompson.

“Drug discovery is a remarkably complex undertaking that constantly pushes at the frontiers of science,” said Tadataka Yamada, Takeda’s director and chief medical and scientific officer. “At Takeda, we believe that the greatest successes result from partnership, and this collaboration sets a new standard. This industry-academic partnership will combine the spirit of innovation in academia with the resources and talents of industry, and we are confident it will lead to remarkable new insights,” he noted.