A publicly traded, fully integrated mid-cap biopharmaceutical company with commercial products providing aggregate &gt;$1B annual revenue is seeking therapeutic candidates for use in CNS and PNS diseases. Novel therapeutics should be a new chemical entity, ideally with a composition of matter patent filed in the last 5 years or with potential to file a composition of matter patent or other similarly meaningful patent protection. Our client is a conscientious company looking to bring assets in house and develop them to their full potential. 
Approaches of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Open to a range of neurological and psychiatric diseases </li>
<li>For neurodegenerative diseases, non-disease modifying therapeutics and treatments for management of neuropsychiatric symptoms (e.g. agitation/aggression, apathy, fatigue, psychosis) are also in scope </li>
<li>Modalities of interest include small molecules and peptides. Biologics and RNA-based therapies developed by biopharma companies are also of interest </li>
<li>Potential first-in-class therapeutics will be prioritized, potential best-in-class therapeutics will also be considered if strong rationale is provided </li>
</ul>
Out of Scope:
<ul>
<li>Therapeutics with disease-modifying action in neurodegenerative diseases or use in the following indications: nociceptive pain, MS, indications related to acute insult or injury (e.g. stroke, TBI), therapeutics with exclusive use in nicotine use disorder/ smoking cessation, diseases with less than 10,000 US patients </li>
<li>Repurposed/reformulated therapeutics </li>
<li>Diagnostics and medical devices </li>
<li>Digital therapeutics </li>
</ul>
Developmental Stages of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Opportunities that have a nominated drug candidate through to completion of Phase 1 are of interest, therapeutics that have at least in vivo validation are highest priority </li>
</ul>
Submission Information
Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. Submissions should include the mechanism of action, biological rationale, a list of any validation work that has been completed, and patents that have been filed. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. 
Opportunity for Partnership
Our client is open to a range of partnership opportunities, with the most appropriate structure being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include asset acquisition and in-licensing assets, although more collaborative models are also a potential opportunity.

A publicly traded, fully integrated mid-cap biopharmaceutical company is seeking novel small molecule and peptide therapeutics for the treatment of CNS and PNS diseases.

Seeking Novel Therapeutics with Utility in CNS and PNS Indications

Our client is seeking novel vaccine candidates to protect against canine leptospirosis and/or leptospiruria. They aim to improve on the currently available vaccines, particularly those with immunity to one specific serovar, typically from inactivated bacteria. 
Novel vaccines should provide cross-protection against multiple leptospira serovar from the following list: Leptospira pomona; L. canicola; L. icterohaemorrhagiae; L. grippotyphosa; L. bratislava; L. australis; L. copenhageni and L. autumnalis.
<h3>Approaches of Interest:</h3>
<ul>
<li>The vaccine candidate should provide cross protection against at least two of the serovars listed, however more comprehensive protection is desirable </li>
<li>Our client is open to vaccine formulations that provide cross-protection, and could comprise: 
<ul>
<li>A recombinant or chimeric proteins (subunit), or multiple proteins that provide cross-protection in combination </li>
<li>Vectored vaccines </li>
<li>Modified-live vaccines </li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Out of Scope:
<ul>
<li>Killed (inactivated) vaccines.</li>
<li>Leptospira vaccine development in non-canine species, unless readily applicable to achieve protection in canines. </li>
</ul>
<h3>Developmental Stages of Interest:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Cross-protection should be demonstrated in hamster challenge model, or an equivalent small animal model.</li>
<li>Validation in a canine model is desirable.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Submission Information</h3>
Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is required, along with any relevant supplementary information e.g. relevant publications, patents. You are encouraged to outline the validation achieved for your technology, and next steps towards commercialisation. This campaign is open to submissions from academia and industry, including start‑ups. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. 
<h3>Opportunity for Collaboration</h3>
Our client has commercial funding available for a collaboration, with necessary resources to progress suitable technologies from research through commercial development. Any such collaboration (including funding amount, timeline etc.) will be discussed on a case-by-case basis with selected submissions. Licensing of technologies and associated IP will also be considered.

A global company is seeking to develop novel vaccines to protect against multiple canine leptospira serovars.

Seeking Vaccine Candidates with Cross-protection Against Canine Leptospira

Daiichi Sankyo, a global pharmaceutical company, is seeking research related to the identification and mechanistic characterization of extracellular proteases whose inhibition suppresses disease onset or progression. 
Approaches of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Opportunities related to immune, cardiometabolic or ophthalmic disorders are of highest priority </li>
<li>Systemic inhibition of the protease is anticipated to carry little to no toxicity, though this does not apply to protease inhibition for ophthalmic diseases</li>
<li>The contribution of the protease to the disease pathology should have been validated by in vivo or ex vivo experiments involving knockout (KO) or knockdown (KD) of the protease </li>
</ul>
Out of Scope:
<ul>
<li>Target diseases exclude cancer and all infectious diseases, including COVID‑19 and HIV </li>
<li>Studies on the development of any modalities for specific protease inhibition </li>
<li>Opportunities related to intracellular proteases </li>
<li>Drug discovery and development platforms</li>
</ul>
Developmental Stages of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Basic research—provided it is supported by wet‑lab data—through to preclinical research is within scope </li>
<li>Proposals should include in vivo or ex vivo data, preferably using human-relevant disease models, enabling the verification of the contribution of the protease to the disease </li>
<li>Proposals should provide a clear outline of the subsequent research steps</li>
</ul>
Submission Information
Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. Our client is also open to novel research proposals which can be outlined using this <a href="">submission form</a>. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. 
Opportunity for Collaboration
Our client is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets, project/PhD funding, and research collaborations.

Daiichi Sankyo is seeking research related to the identification and mechanistic characterization of extracellular proteases whose inhibition suppresses disease onset or progression.   

Seeking Proteases as Inhibitory Targets for Disease Treatment 

Daiichi Sankyo, a global pharmaceutical company, is seeking disease models of macular degeneration-specifically atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Stargardt disease-that have high translational potential for clinical use. To this end, they are seeking disease models that are induced by fundamental pathological mechanisms known in AMD or that have demonstrated responsiveness to existing AMD therapies
Approaches of Interest:
<ul>
<li>In vitro and in vivo disease models that are close to human disease states in terms of disease state inducers, gene expression, and pathology</li>
<li>The model should meet at least two of the following criteria:
<ul>
<li>It is induced by factors that are strongly associated with AMD</li>
<li>It demonstrates concordance with human pathology, such as the development of CNV or localized RPE atrophy</li>
<li>It shows responsiveness to agents that have exhibited efficacy signals in AMD clinical trials, including complement inhibitors</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Research to evaluate the efficacy of drugs using above AMD and Stargardt disease models </li>
</ul>
Out of Scope:
<ul>
<li>Models that are not applicable to age-related macular degeneration or Stargardt disease</li>
<li>In silico and AI powered models</li>
</ul>
Developmental Stages of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Opportunities from basic research to preclinical research are within scope</li>
<li>Opportunities with animal models or in vitro RPE cell models are of highest interest</li>
</ul>
Submission Information
Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information.
Opportunity for Collaboration
Our client is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets, project/PhD funding, and research collaborations.

Daiichi Sankyo is seeking disease models of macular degeneration that are induced by fundamental pathological mechanisms known in AMD or that have demonstrated responsiveness to existing AMD therapies.

Seeking Novel Disease Models of Macular Degeneration

Daiichi Sankyo, a global pharmaceutical company, is seeking a fully cell‑free, in vitro technology capable of synthesizing and amplifying plasmid DNA without relying on E. coli. 
Approaches of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Recombination Assembly Methods
<ul>
<li>Methods that can reproduce a highly efficient homologous recombination system of microorganisms in vitro, resulting in seamless DNA ligation </li>
<li>Methods that can correctly assemble and integrate 50 or more DNA fragments at once via a timely (less than 30 minute) isothermal reaction</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Replication Cycle Reaction Methods
<ul>
<li>Able to mimic the E. coli genome replication system in vitro using a reconstituted set of proteins for amplification</li>
<li>Amplification of a single circular DNA molecule in a time-effective manner</li>
<li>Enables amplification of long circular DNA molecules exceeding 10 kb in vitro</li>
<li>Can achieve high application accuracy, exceeding that of traditional PCR</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
Out of Scope:
<ul>
<li>Replication systems in E. coli</li>
<li>Technologies costing over ten times more than conventional E. coli culture methods</li>
<li>Technologies requiring dedicated equipment with initial investments exceeding 100 million yen</li>
<li>Methods taking over one week per plasmid to generate</li>
<li>Opportunities relating to minicircle DNA or mRNA</li>
</ul>
Developmental Stages of Interest:
<ul>
<li>Daiichi Sankyo is seeking basic research accompanied by experimental verification</li>
<li>Methods must be established</li>
</ul>
Submission Information
Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information.
Opportunity for Collaboration
Our client is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets, project/PhD funding, and research collaborations.

Daiichi Sankyo is seeking a fully cell‑free, in vitro technology capable of synthesizing and amplifying plasmid DNA without relying on E. coli. 

Cell-free Synthesis of Transfection-grade Plasmid DNA for Automated Processing

Daiichi Sankyo is is seeking opportunities focused on novel drug delivery platforms. 
1. Drug delivery technologies for CNS drugs
<ul>
<li>Opportunities enabling systemic delivery of CNS‑targeted drugs (e.g., oligonucleotides) across the blood‑brain barrier for psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases are of interest, provided a clearly defined mechanism of BBB penetration is demonstrated</li>
<li>Basic research through to preclinical research is within scope. In vivo distribution data, cell-type-specific drug distribution data (e.g., neurons, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia), and an in vitro cell assay system to quantitatively evaluate BBB penetration of the delivery system are all desirable</li>
<li>Opportunities related to well defined pathways including TfR, CD98, or IGF1R are out of scope. Additionally, non‑selective delivery methods (e.g., ultrasound, nanoparticles, liposomes), approaches with unresolved scalability and COG (cost of goods) challenges (such as engineered nanoparticles and extracellular vesicles), and nose‑to‑brain delivery strategies are out of scope</li>
</ul>
2. Eye‑drop delivery system for small molecules, peptides, and antibodies to retinal and choroidal tissue in retinal diseases
<ul>
<li>Versatile delivery systems not restricted to specific compounds, with retinal or choroidal exposure confirmed by in vivo studies are of interest (data from rabbits or pigs preferred)</li>
<li>Basic research through to preclinical research is within scope. Desirable data include efficacy in animal models of retinal diseases, stability of the eye‑drop solution, and toxicity assessments for the cornea or other anterior segment tissues</li>
</ul>
3. Technologies capable of selective tumor tissue-targeted delivery
<ul>
<li>Technologies must demonstrate enhanced accumulation in tumor tissue (comprising tumor cells, fibroblasts, stromal and immune cells) with reduced liver and kidney uptake, enable intracellular delivery of oligonucleotides or proteins, and be supported by robust, well‑established manufacturing processes</li>
<li>Technologies capable of selectively delivering to tumor-specific environments (e.g. pH, hypoxia, etc.) are of high interest</li>
<li>Research ranging from basic studies (with supporting experimental data) through Phase II is within scope</li>
<li>Out of scope are approaches limited to organ‑specific targeting, delivery methods such as viruses and nanoparticles, and technologies that rely solely on the Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect</li>
</ul>
Submission Information and Opportunity for Collaboration
Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. Daiichi Sankyo is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets, project/PhD funding, MTA and research collaborations.

Daiichi Sankyo is seeking drug delivery platforms for CNS drugs that cross the blood–brain barrier, eye‑drop systems targeting retinal and choroidal tissues, and technologies enabling selective tumor tissue targeting.

Drug Delivery Platforms: Novel BBB-penetrating Systems, Ocular Eye-drop Systems, and Tumor Tissue-targeted Intracellular Approaches

AstraZeneca is seeking screening assays, or predictive models relevant to oral bioavailability and/or cell permeability of macrocyclic peptides that can help map and model the property space required for oral and cell-permeable macrocyclic peptides. They particularly welcome: 
<ul>
<li>High-throughput screening assays (in vitro and ex vivo) or advanced in silico platforms for quantifying key properties relevant to oral bioavailability and/or cellular permeability of macrocyclic peptides</li>
<li>Novel or proprietary methods for predicting, quantifying, or modelling the physicochemical space that governs permeability and oral absorption in macrocyclic peptides</li>
<li>Annotated data generated from these screening methods</li>
</ul>
The selected collaborator will receive at least 8 benchmark compounds to confirm permeability ranking in a blinded study. Following screening, compounds will be unblinded for the collaborator and available to use freely. 
Out of scope: Proposals that are hypothetical, lack experimental feasibility, or involve low-throughput experimental or predictive modelling approaches that are not scalable for parallel evaluation of large compound sets will be given a lower priority. 
Submission and Programme Information and Opportunity for Collaboration
AstraZeneca invites applications from both academic and biotech organizations. Applicants should complete the <a href="">proposal form</a> which should contain a brief, non‑confidential overview of your proposal, including a workplan, approximate budgetary requirements, desired outcomes, and background on your research group. To submit your proposal, please visit the <a href="">Inpart website</a>, register, and submit your application form under the appropriate campaign. Proposed collaborations or data contributions should either provide experimental proof-of-concept, published evidence, or actionable approaches for generating datasets or screening tools that address these key parameters. Solutions that enable parallel evaluation of multiple macrocyclic peptides, or which deliver mechanistic or predictive insights into the determinants of oral and cell permeability, are particularly encouraged. Further details on the solution criteria can be found in the proposal form.
AstraZeneca’s CoSolve challenge is a global Open Innovation programme seeking collaborators with innovative solutions to real research challenges. These challenges lie within the company’s R&amp;D research focus areas and require solutions that are immediately translatable. Collaborators are sought who can bring innovative ideas that can be rapidly translated into tangible solutions. Working together, these ideas could help shape the development and delivery of new therapies and bring them to patients sooner. Applications that are of interest will be selected to participate in the virtual Challenge Week - an intensive week where applicants will pitch their ideas and work with AstraZeneca scientists to transform their idea into a workplan. For selected winners from the challenge week, a <a href="">collaboration agreement</a> will be put in place with specified milestones and the winning projects can begin quickly. Details about the collaboration benefits can be found in the proposal form.

AstraZeneca is seeking established screening assays relevant to oral bioavailability and/or cell permeability of macrocyclic peptides that can help map and model the property space required for oral and cell-permeable macrocyclic peptides. 

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Seeking Vaccine Candidates with Cross-protection Against Canine Leptospira

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Seeking Proteases as Inhibitory Targets for Disease Treatment

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Seeking Novel Disease Models of Macular Degeneration

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Cell-free Synthesis of Transfection-grade Plasmid DNA for Automated Processing

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Drug Delivery Platforms: Novel BBB-penetrating Systems, Ocular Eye-drop Systems, and Tumor Tissue-targeted Intracellular Approaches

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High Throughput Screening Assays to Map Macrocyclic Peptide Permeability and Stability Properties

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